Ninjago: Dimensional Rift
by GameBusters
Summary: Ninjago's heroes have enjoyed an extended peace, but perhaps that's what he wanted all along. Every villain, defeated, all according to plan. The Gatekeeper, in the final throes of training; the Chosen One, in an inner turmoil of his own. Before his plan can begin, it starts with a Djinn... Rated T to be on the safe side; think of this as Season 6.5.
1. Chapter 1: Aftermath

Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu Dimensional Rift

Disclaimer: We own none of the characters, themes, or songs in this story, excluding the O.C.s.

Character descriptions in a nutshell. (More to come…)

NINJAGO: Masters of Spinjitzu **Dimensional** **Rift**

"Long before time had a name, Ninjago was created by the First Spinjitzu Master, but you probably already knew that. However, many great evils attempted to seize Ninjago for themselves, even my own father. Fortunately, wherever there is something worth fighting for, there is always a need for a ninja. The ninja have ultimately bested every evil that has invaded our home of Ninjago, from the devious Master Chen and his Anacondrai cultists: begins mimicking Chen's voice, {Teeheehee! Buttons, buttons, I love buttons! Only one can remain!} Morro and the Preeminent, (mimic's Morro's voice {Haha! You have it wrong! Ninjago must be destroyed!} and even the ultimate evil, The Overlord. {does his best to mimic the Overlord's ghastly, raspy voice, {Wherever there is light, there will always be shadow! Cough, gasp, clears throat.} So even now that all of Ninjago's enemies are subdued, the ninja and I, Lloyd Garmadon, watch over Ninjago to ensure that no one harms the innocent or threatens Ninjago ever again!" Lloyd finishes dramatically while he and the ninja strike an action pose.

Cheers and applause fill the auditorium of the school. The ninja all bow and suddenly vanish from the stage, prompting even more cheers and applause.

The ninja are all gathered backstage.

"Great speech Lloyd! Your father would've been proud," Kai pats Lloyd on the shoulder.

"Yeah Lloyd! But if you'd used my epic one-liner and let me do the voices for the bad guys, it would've been killer!"

"Jay, how did you ever become a ninja? Seriously!"

"By my assessment of the applause, the audience would agree that your speech was most excellent."

"Thanks guys, I hope that this gives much needed hope to the people of Ninjago, so that they know we're looking out for them," Lloyd's serious face relaxes slightly, and his tone remains optimistic.

"I'm sure it will Lloyd, but I have to admit it would be more exciting if something nefarious occurred, 'specially since Ronin's been handling most of the smaller crimes lately," Nya complains half-heartedly.

Sensei Wu, Misako, and Darreth all walk up to the ninja simultaneously.

"Ninja, excellent work, and Lloyd, your speech will no doubt inspire the people of Ninjago to enjoy the peace we have earned. "

"Yes son, all of you and your team's hard work has finally begun to pay off!"

"Yeah, but do you think we could squeeze a couple of interviews before you guys head out? I'd love to use it in an upcoming magazine issue."

"Of course! How's my hair for the picture? Can I be in front this time?"

"Easy Kai, remember our reason for protecting Ninjago isn't for more publicity, but to do our part in giving back to our home."

"Speaking of protecting Ninjago, did anyone ever find Clouse? Don't tell me that guy's still hanging around just waiting for us to let our guard down so he can brew a pot of trouble."

"Remember Cole? He's been banished to the Underworld, so I think it's best to give him the benefit of the doubt for now," Lloyd counters mildly.

The Police Commissioner saunters over to the ninja, "Well, I just might have someone worth denying the benefit of the doubt; it's been awhile Lloyd."

"I guess I should be careful what I wish for…"

"Nya, we just spent a whole debacle learning about the power of wishes."

"Right, sorry."

"We're ready, where is the suspect?" Lloyd pulls his hood over his face.

"The darker side of Ninjago City, at least that's where he was last seen. We've been trying to catch him for months, but he's like a shadow, there one moment and gone the next…" The commissioner's eye begins twitching.

"We're on our way." Lloyd says on the commissioner's radio; the ninja have already left on their elemental dragons.

 **Chapter 1: Aftermath**

The ninja arrive in Ninjago City, and all is quiet. The team separates in pairs of two while searching the city. After searching nearly the entire city, the ninja meet back in the center of the city, and report that there's not a noodle out of soup.

"Sorry Lloyd, not a thing. This city's safe as can be," Kai nonchalantly reports with a forced yawn.

"Yeah Lloyd, same here. And I was all ready to lay a paralyzing smack-down on the suspect," Jay jitters disappointedly.

"Ugh, guys I almost feel like we missed him," Lloyd grunts, confused.

"Or her…" Nya chides while grinning.

At that moment, Cole notices a mysterious shadow, a moving shadow with nothing casting it. "Hey, what's that?"

The ninja turn and see the shadow, which disappears and flows up a building.

"That must be the enigmatic enmity that has been reported repeatedly."

The ninja go on a rooftop race chasing the shadow, and after several minutes of chasing, they finally reach a rooftop with a large chimney. The ninja surround the shadow.

"Aha! Nowhere to go now! All right guys, lets light this shadow!"

"Easy Jay, this may have been nothing more than a wild goose chase…!"

"Yes, I'm afraid it is."

The ninja turn, and see a young man in a white cloak with causally saunters up to them from behind the chimney. All the ninja jump back in surprise, then take defensive postures.

"Oh, did I startle you? My apologizes," the stranger's eyes cloud slightly, but he suddenly sighs almost dismissively, eyelids slightly drooped, "Of course, if you were not stalking me it would be much less likely that such would occur. Merely my observation."

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Cole interrogates, posed to strike yet also steady should the opposite be in order.

"Yeah, what's with all the sneaking you snake?" Jay half snickers at his own terrible quip.

"Snake? I am human, not serpentine. My given name is Akumu-Rin. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ninja." Akumu smiles wryly as he removes the hood on his cloak.

"Yeah, yeah. Do away with the niceties and surrender, unless you're interested in a fight." Kai brandishes his blade.

"Commissioner, we found him." Lloyd reports into his radio.

"Roger Lloyd, on our way!" The commissioner makes good and soon a small army of helicopters surround the building.

"Now, now, a fight is unnecessary. I apologize if my actions implied hostility. I just found it peculiar that you were following me. Your nindroid can attest that all my items I carry with me have been paid for; see for yourself." Akumu holds out the sacks of items he had been carrying.

Zane scans all of the stranger's belongings, and sighs, "All of the merchandise he carries has been purchased legitimately, and we cannot prosecute him for nothing." Zane turns to face the stranger, and bows slightly, "Our apologies, sir."

The commissioner growls softly, then gives a command for the choppers to disperse; Akumu is allowed to leave freely and casually.

The ninja are frustrated and confused; Lloyd grimaces silently as he watches the cloaked fellow leave…

Later that day, another distress call reaches the Destiny's Bounty, so the Ninja set back into action! Arriving at the Ninjago Museum, the Ninja find that yet again, this mysterious fellow Akumu has appeared, but also like their last encounter, he has still done nothing wrong. Turns out he and Dr. Saunders were chatting about a historical argument.

"No no, I assure you, the Fall of Garmadon occurred many years after the Serpentine War!" Saunders replies.

"Then how did Garmadon keep his youthfulness? Is he some kind of time lord?" Akumu retorts.

"Hee-hee! No, no, time lords are nothing but a fairy tale! No, no!" Dr. Saunders smiles.

Akumu's face shows very brief suspicion and doubt, but then turns and notices the Ninja. "Well hello, again. I see your police have yet another wild goose for you to chase?" his gentle, yet almost teasing tone complements his playful eyebrow tilt.

Lloyd sighs, "Sorry to bother you again, and next time the police asks us to find you again, we'll be sure to think twice." Lloyd turns to his communicator, informing the police of their findings while trying to maintain a level tone.

The rest of the Ninja nod and leave in frustration.

"No problem, after all, it is not your fault that your police is as buggy as the Kryptarium Cafeteria." Akumu smirks playfully.

Jay smiles back and chuckles, and so does Nya.

Akumu watches them curiously as they leave, then continues in his historical discussion with Saunders.

"So you said that Morro was the only villain to not seek vengeance on the Ninja?" Akumu asks.

"Mm-hmm, that's right! I dunno why such happened. It's a _mystery…_ boogily boogily!" Saunders tries to dramatize his answer.

Back on board Destiny's Bounty, the Ninja are meeting with Sensei Wu.

"Alright Sensei, I've had enough of these false alarms. It's just like the boy who cried Serpentine!" Jay complains. "Only at least those times, it was real!"

"Yeah Sensei, whatever this guy actually is doesn't matter since the police have nothing but their word to pin on him. I love a good fight, but if I've learned anything from our adventures, it would be that rumors can cause unnecessary wars." Kai comments.

"Hm, I see that you continue to grow in your training and your mind! Very good. However, I wonder if you might be able to handle this…new assignment." Wu replies, quick to switch topics.

"Ooh! A new mission! I'll ready the quips!" Jay zips.

"What's the trouble Sensei? Whoever it is better be ready to rock!" Cole cracks a smile.

"Cole! Stop quipping before I even can come up with a good one for you!" Jay snaps.

"Sensei, if we should fail this mission, will it lead to disastrous consequences?" Zane inquires enquiringly.

"Alright guys, let's hold on and listen." Lloyd shushes them while lightly smacking Jay and Cole.

"Well, I'm not sure you all are ready to handle it. It may be one of the direst missions you've ever attempted." Wu muses, eyes closed and facing away from them.

"Sensei you've trained us well, so have some faith in us!" Nya remarks.

"We accept, no matter the task, no matter the cost, a Ninja is always ready to help their Sensei." Lloyd nods.

"Yeah, anything for you, Sensei!" Kai nods.

"Hear, hear!" Jay pipes.

"You said it!" Cole echoes.

"…very well, I think you're right. You are more than capable of handling this mission, which is why I wanted to ask you first." Sensei starts, a slight beam under his beard.

The Ninja crowd around Wu in anticipation.

"Your mission is, listen carefully:" Wu's eyes open, fully serious.

The ninja have their most serious expressions to show they are ready; even Jay.

"I need you, to go down to my former tea shop and purchase a case of Clementine Tea for my book club tonight before 5 O' Clock! Now go! The lines have been very long lately and I have just barely managed to reserve some tea, so please! Time is of the essence since my order is only guaranteed until the end of today!" Wu dramatically poses to emphasis the importance of the errand.

"Well, I somehow saw that one coming," Kai comments.

"Eh, oh well, better than nothing!" Jay smiles.

"Ninja, go!" the team cheers as they head to their vehicles: the Ultra Stealth Raider, Cole's Rock Roader, and Zane's Tumbler.

Sensei looks on and smiles to himself, "Hm, they truly are growing up. They took it better than they have in years! I'm very proud. Heh!"

The Ninja arrive at Wu's old tea farm, formerly Steep Wisdom.

"Wow, they've been busy," Kai states the obvious.

"Uh, yeah. No kidding," Cole pounds the obvious into the dirt; not literally.

"On the bright side, we've arrived a 1 O' Clock, so we've got five hours, no wait, four hours until the deadline!" Nya breaks the flow of negativity with her perky perspective.

Upon entering the store, with the sign now saying "CuriosiTea", the Ninja are greeted by a seemingly empty store.

"Uh, hello?" Lloyd calls out slowly.

Out of nowhere, a voice answers. "Why hello, old chum…"

The Ninja jump up, nearly kick back, whip it around and spin when Pythor suddenly materializes right at the register!

"Pythor?" Lloyd gasps.

"Oh, great, just our luck! We go on a simple errand, only to find out that it was a real mission! Plot twist much?" Jay quips, while charging up his swinging hand.

The Ninja take fighting stances, but Pythor holds up a hand, "Oh, settle down! You know very well that I tend to have an unsettling effect on people, but really!"

The Ninja lower their weapons, and Kai asks, glaring suspiciously, "So, if you're not here to fight, why _are_ you here?"

"Ah, very simple. I am currently the proud co-owner of the fabulous Tea Boutique by the name of CuriosiTea! After all, we all need hobbies do we not? I even have the prestigious honor of wearing a uniform and nametag!" Pythor points to his nametag that reads: "Pythor P. C. Co-owner of CuriosiTea". "Not that I need it or anything like that…" Pythor looks prideful, eyes closed dramatically and elegant in pose. "Ahem. Now then, how may I help you?" Pythor returns to his normal pose and then inquires smoothly.

"Um, well, we had placed an order…" Lloyd replies but is cut off.

"Yes, yes, an order for Wu; he called at least twelve times a week ago to place an order. We always are always giddy with glee to provide the best service we can to our customers, so we appreciate his patience and diligence. Akumu!" Pythor begins talking on his intercom on the desk near the register. "Bring package number 70595 to the register at your earliest convenience if you would."

Akumu's voice crackles on the intercom, "On my way."

While they are waiting, Lloyd asks, "So I don't get it, you help us beat Chen, tried to send me to the Departed Realm, then go back to being good again?"

"Mm hm, precisely." Pythor smiles deviously.

"Well can you at least make up your mind? Two sides!" Jay holds up his hands. "Good, Evil, Pick one!"

Pythor smirks and slaps both of Jay's upright hands in a dual high five just to egg him on. Jay just groans and facepalms.

"What are you really up to?" Lloyd inquires further, not buying it for a minute.

"What am I really "up to"?" Pythor uses air quotes. "Well, you see, I needed a stable source of income, and during my time in Kryptarium I learned to steep the finest of tea, so I decided to use my technique to forge a financial gain!" Pythor grins normally and gestures to the racks of newly-made teas.

"Here you are, order number 70595, all intact and ready for use!" Akumu appears at the register and lays the package containing the tea on the counter. "That'll be thirty five dollars and seventy two cents." Akumu adds as he rings up the order on the register.

"You?!" Lloyd suddenly recognizes Akumu from before.

"Yes, me! I suppose, but I care not to delve into the probabilities of it not being me so please, here is your order." Akumu replies.

"Zane?" Lloyd faces his friend.

Zane nods and proceeds to scan the package to ensure it is the correct item. Zane gasps, and the rest of the Ninja look about ready to being the accusation assault, but Zane stops them and says, "I'm sorry, but this is not our order, this is Tomorrow's Tea."

Akumu blushes slightly, and nods, "My apologies, I must have chosen the package number 70594; that package was for a child by the name of Floyd Wilson. He wanted to age three years as his birthday present. Sorry about that, wait here."

Kai turns to Zane, "Is that true?"

Zane nods, blinking innocently, "Affirmative, Floyd will be turning 13 in a couple of days, but since his superstitious family believed thirteen to be a sign of misfortune, they convinced their son to ask for the tea to avoid any calamity.

"Huh," Kai mutters.

"Yeah, how 'bout that?" Cole half-way tries to keep up with the conversation.

Akumu returns with Wu's package. "Here, this is the correct one."

After paying, the Ninja are about to leave when Nya asks, "Hey hold it, How do you two know each other?"

"Hey yeah, I was thinking about it too but then I remembered a recipe I had forgotten two years ago so I forgot to ask." Cole adds.

All the Ninja look at Cole.

"What?" Cole asks defensively.

Pythor looks at Akumu, then at the Ninja. "Well, you see, the story is rather short and simple."

"Good, since we've only got about three and a quarter hour until Sensei's Book Club." Lloyd smiles mischievously.

"Very well," Pythor sighs as he sees no way out of telling this yarn. "You surely remember the time in which I was amassing the four Fang Blades correct?"

The Ninja nod.

"Good, so you see, I do not believe you ever found out the location of the Fourth Fang Blade. I retrieved it while you were busy unearthing our below surface haven. While I was locating the blade, I met Akumu. Akumu offered to aid my hunt for the Blade, which he made good on. Afterwards, we went our separate ways despite his offer to accompany me in pursuit of my goal; a decision I have lived to regret."

"So you helped Pythor?" Jay asks, with a serious tone.

"I fail to comprehend how such an action would provide any benefit to yourself, such thinking borders incomprehensible," Zane comments robotically.

"Always with the interruptions I see, nevertheless however, I will finish my tale. Ahem! So recently after the technological revolution a couple of years back, I happened upon Akumu again and remembered why I called things Rodrigo back in prison."

"My last name is Rodrigo." Akumu explains.

"Correct, so we met up not too long after the attempted shanghai by Chen and his noodle-for-brains imposters. Ever since, we have been meeting every now and then, which obviously resulted in the business venture, CuriosiTea," Pythor finishes, gesturing to the store surrounding himself.

"Well, alright, but just because you're not causing trouble doesn't mean we won't keep our eyes on you." Lloyd warns.

"Fine, but do not overstep your own boundaries on false claims boy…" Pythor also warns, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes but regardless, thank you for your business and have a pleasant day." Akumu interjects.

"Yes, of course! Have a pleasant afternoon and enjoy your liquid sustenance." Pythor adds, his tone ever so slightly lightening.

The Ninja nod politely and leave the store. They then mount their vehicles and leave back to the Airjitzu Temple.

Back at the Airjizu Gallery, the ninja have given Wu his tea, but are now discussing their encounter with Pythor and Akumu with Wu and Misako.

"I suppose I was right, Pythor truly has nine lives." Misako muses.

"Yeah, but that's beside the point, should we give them the benefit of the doubt Sensei?" Lloyd asks.

"Hm, Yes I believe so. Pythor is a wild card, but as long as he is not a threat, he can be given space. As for this Akumu fellow, I would also encourage friendliness over hostility. Be wary of how you treat them, for it very well could determine the difference between yet another fight, and a peaceful co-existence."

"Yes, Sensei." The Ninja say in unison.

Wu nods, "Now to more pressing matters: my book club meets in an hour, so preparations must be made! Kai and Cole, it is your night to assist."

"Yes Sensei." Kai and Cole agree.

Jay, Zane, and Nya each meanwhile go to their separate activities, but Lloyd stays behind and cannot shake off the feeling of suspicion he has…


	2. All That is Silent, is not Cold

Previously, on Ninjago…

"…the Ninja and I, Lloyd Garmadon, watch over Ninjago to ensure that no one harms the innocent or threatens Ninjago ever again!"

The audience cheers.

"…I might just have someone worth denying the benefit of the doubt. It's been a while Lloyd." The commissioner appears.

"We're on our way." Lloyd and his team ride off on their dragons.

"…this may have been nothing more than a wild goose chase…!"

"Yes," "My…name is Akumu-Rin."

Zane scans the items he is carrying. "…we cannot persecute him for nothing."

The Ninja arrive at CuriosiTea. "Why hello, old chum…" "I am currently the proud co-owner of the fabulous tea boutique by the name of CuriosiTea!"

Akumu brings the tea package.

"You?!" Lloyd exclaims.

"While I was locating the blade, I met Akumu. Akumu offered to aid my hunt for the Blade, which he made good on his offer."

The Ninja take the package and leave. They are with Wu, "I…encourage friendliness over hostility. Be wary of how you treat them…"

Lloyd shows concern in his face as his suspicion refuses to leave his mind…

Chapter 2: "All that is Silent, is not Cold…"

In an unknown realm, a deep, yet melodic voice calls out into the darkness. "I cannot help but muse about this scenario; I have seen it before, somewhere…"

A portal opens before the speaker of those words. "Will it end in tragedy? Or perhaps, in victory? Is it all so black and white?" Are the last words uttered as the being enters the ethereal gateway…

Arising from a well-deserved rest, Lloyd smiles as the sunlight hits his face like a gentle caress. "I'm going to make you proud today, father." Lloyd thinks to himself; his motto for each morning. Lloyd dresses quickly to prepare himself for another day in Ninjago; he knows full and well that anything can happen today! After his usual morning routine, Lloyd proceeds to head to the gallery for his daily lesson with Wu.

Wu notices Lloyd immediately, "Namaste, my pupil," Wu bows respectfully.

Lloyd returns the greeting and bow, "Good morning, Sensei." Lloyd sits down in a meditative position.

Wu looks at Lloyd thoughtfully, while stroking his beard. "Today, I want to begin to teach you to connect with your inner self. Though you may think bequeathing your golden power amongst your four protectors has weakened you, it can only strengthen you! Focus, and find your balance within yourself." Wu begins pacing around Lloyd as he begins to focus in meditation. "The First Spinjitzu Master granted his successors with their respective elements, yet he did not suffer in strength. The same holds true for the green ninja, his direct descendant."

Lloyd's face contorts slightly as his focus tightens.

"Find your inner peace, for only then can you discover your true potential."

Lloyd suddenly jolts up. "Woah! Hold on Sensei! I became the green ninja, the gold ninja, and now you're saying there's more? How much more can I unlock?"

"Nothing! If you fail to hold your focus!" Wu turns to Lloyd and stares at him intensely, pointing a hand directly at him.

Lloyd flinches, then sighs.

Wu's expression softens. "You still have not found true inner peace, Lloyd. It will take time, maybe long time, since you still have yet to calm the inner turmoil that rampages through you."

Lloyd looks down, stressed.

Wu lays a hand on Lloyd's shoulder comfortingly, "Our paths are long and winding, but that is why we have others to travel them with. You are not alone, and though those before us may be gone, it is in their teachings and memories that they live eternally with us."

Lloyd smiles weakly at Wu and nods.

"That is all I have for you today; we will resume tomorrow morning." Wu bows and disappears in a flash of smoke.

Lloyd smiles to himself as he heads to the dining hall.

"Hey Lloyd!" Jay greets Lloyd cheerfully.

The other ninja too greet Lloyd as he sits down to breakfast.

"Late to breakfast again, huh?" Kai teases as he tries to adjust his hair.

"What's the scoop from Sensei?" Cole asks while chugging mushu mushu.

"Heh, not much today guys. I'm more worried about our mission for today. Nya?" Lloyd turns to face her.

"Sorry Lloyd, crime's been about as absent as Jay's savings account." Nya shrugs, smiling.

"Hey! Who said we'd disclose my credit situation?" Jay interjects.

"Oh, right, yeah…" Nya smiles, cringing for the worst.

Jay begins a surprisingly short tirade about boundaries when Misako enters the room.

"Good morning, everyone! I don't suppose Pythor is up to some sort of scheme for you to stop today, huh?" Misako joshes while grabbing a mug of tea.

"Come on, mom; Even Wu didn't feel he was an issue right now." Lloyd counters. "Besides, I'm more worried about that other fellow with him," Lloyd adds, slightly muddled in thought as he begins to eat the noodles in front of him.

"Akumu? Lloyd, I find no logic to your rationale; Pythor is the more imminent threat rather than his friend." Zane adds, trying to find reason in Lloyd's thought.

"Mm! He's right, Lloyd! Pythor could have spun the yarn he told us last week on the spot; certainly wouldn't be the first time!" Cole replies with a mouthful of noodles.

"Well, never mind I guess. We should enjoy the peace while we can, right?" Lloyd replies, scooping another chopstick-full of noodles.

The other ninja and Misako nod; they all return to breakfast, then begin their activities for the day. Misako and Kai are heading to the museum, Nya and Jay are going on a date, Zane is busy repairing the Destiny's Bounty, and Cole is training with Wu. Lloyd decides to simply monitor activity in Ninjago for a few hours; just in case any activity should arise.

The Ninjago City Motel staff is going about their duties when the front entrance opens, and in steps Akumu. "Good morning, I had reserved dining room B for a party of five." Akumu's voice chimes to the hotel receptionist.

"Yes; right down the left corridor, second hall on the right." The receptionist replies politely and hands Akumu the key to Dining Hall B.

Akumu thanks the receptionist, then quickly begins preparing the hall to his liking. He arranges up a master table for him and his soon-to-arrive guests. After arranging the kitchen crew with their instructions of the meal to be served, Akumu sighs as he takes his seat at the master table. The clock displays 11:43 a.m. as Akumu begins arranging his laptop to display the slideshow and documents he had prepared for the meeting today.

Around 11:57 a.m., Pythor arrives in the motel lobby. "Ahem, yes I seem to have a reservation for Dining Hall B? My title is Mr. Chumsworth."

The receptionist nods and gives Pythor the same directions he gave Akumu.

Pythor nods his thanks and opens the Hall B's doors. "Quite a commodious accommodation, I dare say. Mm-hmm, yes quite lavish indeed. You do think ahead don't you?" Pythor's heavily British accented voice calls out.

"If you can, why shouldn't you? You're early!" Akumu smiles thinly as he greets his friend.

Pythor takes his seat, eyes twinkling with intrigue, "So, run by me again me purpose of this gathering?

Akumu turns his laptop to face them both, "There have been recent activities on the Dark Island, as well as the city of Stixx. I merely wanted to try and interpret these happenings so we might be prepared for any backlash of these events."

Pythor nods, looking intently at the screen, "Mm, yes, I agree. Cannot be too cautious can we?" Pythor leans in while scanning the documents that the police had created regarding these incidents.

At 12:14 p.m., the last three guests arrive in Dining Hall B: Skales, Selma, and Skales Jr. "Ssssorry we're late; we had a little mishap during our preparations." Skales explains.

"Well, better late than never. You did not miss much, so please pull up your chair." Pythor replies with a gesture toward the three remaining chairs.

The group of five then begin screening the footage of the events before the Day of the Departed celebration. "You see, it would seem as though another lost soul has been cast out of Ninjago: Clouse has disappeared." Akumu says emotionlessly.

"Yes, and good riddance to that meddling Merlin! Ninjago certainly must have been purged of all its foes now, surely." Pythor comments with an opportunist's glint in his eye.

"It could be, but I sssstill feel like one was missed. Who all have the ninja faced?" Skales asks thoughtfully while glancing over the slideshow of the train station's security feed.

"Currently the ninja have faced Garmadon, Pythor, the Overlord, Chen, Morro, Yang, and some…unknown entity." Akumu replies, slowing in his speech on the last entry.

"{Unknown entity}? What unknown entity?" Pythor's eyes thin and his jaw stiffens; his tongue still flickers however.

"It would seem as though one enemy of the ninja has been lost from memory to all except Jay and Nya. The enemy appears to be a Djinn…" Akumu replies, closing his eyes to focus on what he had glimpsed from Jay and Nya's memories.

"Humph! Glad to see you still have your old tricks, young man! On the other hand, first those ninja erassse time in the form of Garmadon'ss Mega Weapon, now they are erasssing entire battles? By what meansss?" Skales hisses in a slight tizzy as he contemplates how best to protect his family should the worst come to worse.

"I'm not sure, but be on your guard, as the cuckoo curio at the Museum had virtually zero information on this type of being." Akumu replies, closing his laptop and handing Skales a small pamphlet about an artifact called the "Teapot of Tyran".

"Perhapsss you might find ssome information at the Library of Domu." Selma adds while her husband is glossing the pamphlet over.

Pythor and Akumu think it over a few seconds, then both nod.

"Yes, that's a good thought, and that will be our destination this evening." Akumu concludes with a calm smile.

The group of five finish the lunch meal that had been prepared, then Akumu thanks Skales and his family for their time. The Skales' family leaves, and so do Akumu and Pythor. Shortly afterwards, Akumu and Pythor begin preparations for their visit to the Library of Domu…

Meanwhile onboard the Destiny's Bounty, Zane receives a warning signal on the navi-computer for the ship. Zane summons the other ninja to the briefing deck, "Friends, I have just received a warning message: "Pythor, Skales and three unidentified individuals were seen at the Ninjago City Motel renting out Dining Hall B."

"Huh, we didn't get an invitation? My feelings are hurt." Cole scoffs.

"Does it say anything more, Zane?" Lloyd asks, eyeing the screen's display.

"Unfortunately, No. The situation is difficult to decipher based upon the given information." Zane sighs.

"Well, if I may be so bold; another chase after a potentially non-criminal gathering could make us look bad, since we'd be chasing people without a good reason." Jay adds.

"Yeah, but what if that's what Pythor wants? Can we take that risk?" Kai counters.

The Ninja then enter Wu's gallery to seek his counsel.

"Hello, my pupils. What can I help you with?" Wu greets his students.

"Sensei, we know there's been no crimes lately, but Pythor and Skales just had a meeting at the Ninjago City Motel. Should we investigate?" Lloyd asks as he sits respectfully in front of Wu. The other Ninja do the same.

"I see. My advice is to be at peace with this for now. With no evidence, there is no crime; innocent until proven guilty." Wu replies serenely. He sits up slightly.

"Yes, Sensei." The Ninja acknowledge.

"Now, on to another, more urgent, matter. I have unfortunate news for you." Wu sighs. "It would seem that we are low on finances, so I could not order new uniforms for you. I apologize."

"Ah, no worries, Sensei! I happen to love my current robe! It suits my glitzy style!" Jay reassures.

"Hey, maybe we could use our old outfits and make something new out of them! You know, recycle them!" Lloyd states.

"Well, I do believe in being fashion forward while keeping the lessons of the past at the present." Kai muses.

The Ninja nod, and rush off to make their "new" outfits.

Wu smiles mischievously to himself, "If only I had arrived on that solution sooner!"

The Ninja each design their own outfit: Kai takes his Deepstone robe and combines it with his Zen eXtreme robe and adds some maroon accents to them. Nya bought an outfit for herself a month ago, but was waiting for an occasion to wear it; it resembles nothing like the ninja had worn previously, and resembles a combination of her old samurai robes and her Day of the Departed robe but in a gunmetal grey color. Lloyd simply takes his Techno robe and simplifies it with major black accents. Jay wears his Day of the Departed robe while Zane modifies his Skybound outfit with a white shoulder pauldron. Finally, Cole revamps his Techno robe with a Skybound hood and dark grey accents.

"Haha! Easy, stylish, and lazy! My three quick fix rules!" Jay smiles to himself as he sees the others' creations.

"Yeah, but putting effort into what you wear shows you care about your job." Kai smirks while posing in his hodge-podge.

"Well at least I didn't make up a robe style like Darreth!" Jay harrumphs, arms crossed in indignation.

Nya sighs, "I still like your robe, Jay."

"Ooh, you do? Thanks!" Jay smiles flirtatiously.

"Hey, guys! What do you think?" Lloyd saunters into the gathering of the other five ninja.

"Hmm, simplistic, but effective. Stupendous, Lloyd!" Zane praises with a cheerful smile.

"Enough of the fashion show! The new Fritz Donnigan Movie is premiering tonight! They got a new actor and I wanna see if he's any good!" Cole interjects while chugging a small bowl of noodles so he wouldn't overspend on the ridiculously expensive theater food.

"Ooh, the actor got, replaced…" Jay smiles nervously.

Nya glances at Jay with a sympathetic expression while putting an arm over his shoulder.

Lloyd smiles, "Yeah, that sounds good! Let's rock fellas!"

The Ninja pile into their respective vehicles and head down to Ninjago Cinejago Theater.

Deep inside the Domu Library Archives, Akumu and Pythor are rummaging through the various history texts and manuscripts. "This tells of a five armed kleptomaniac who would read fairytales to children, then eat them. Perchance the culprit?" Pythor reads almost musingly.

"What? Who writes this nonsense? That's not it." Akumu replies as he reads through another scroll. "Where's that bookworm Misako when she's needed?"

"Busy buried beneath bountiless bouts of boondocks, I presume." Pythor hisses gently. "Here! The Teapot of Tyran! It held a Djinn by the designation of Nadakahn. T'was a powerful soul who could grant the wishes of others, but impaired to grant his own. Captain of the so-called, Misfortune's Keep, he disappeared with said kettle pot, and hence was never seen again!'

"Yes! That's the being! But if he is truly sealed away for good, how did the Ninja encounter him?" Akumu scratches his hair contemplatively.

"That does beg the question; perhaps they released the barbarian only to banish him once more without the story leaking to the meddlesome media." Pythor theorizes with his hand to his bottom lip in pondering. Pythor rolls up the scroll, stashing it in his robe.

"Possibly, but that would not explain the memories being exclusive to the young couple of Ninja, rather than the entire pack…" Akumu thinks aloud. He suddenly stops, and holds his head, eyes closed. "…He cannot be found, by anyone in this world. Someone is looking for him, someone…" Akumu snaps back to reality.

"See anything?"

"No, but, I sense something, beyond a shadow of a doubt." Akumu shakes his head tiredly. "There was never just one," Akumu hisses gravely.

"I'm sure the ninja will handle it like they do the other abominations," Pythor yawns flippantly.

"No…, we, cannot take that risk, Mr. Chumsworth. We need to get our heads in the clouds, to better prepare ourselves for that contingency…" Akumu presses, insistently.


	3. That Which Clouds the Future

Previously on Ninjago,

"Find your inner peace, for only then can you discover your true potential."

Lloyd suddenly jolts up. "Woah! Hold on Sensei! I became the green ninja, the gold ninja, and now you're saying there's more? How much more can I unlock?"

"Nothing! If you fail to hold your focus!" Wu turns to Lloyd and stares at him intensely.

Pythor takes his seat, "So run by me again me purpose of this gathering?

Akumu turns his laptop to face them both, "There have been recent activities on the Dark Island, as well as the city of Stixx. I merely wanted to try and interpret these happenings so we might be prepared for any backlash of these events."

Pythor nods, looking intently at the screen, "Mm, yes, I agree. Cannot be too cautious, can we?"

"It would seem as though one enemy of the ninja has been lost from memory to all except Jay and Nya. The enemy appears to be a Djinn…" Akumu replies, closing his eyes to focus on what he had glimpsed from Jay and Nya's memories.

"Perhapsss you might find ssome information at the Library of Domu." Selma adds.

"Now, on to another, more urgent, matter. I have unfortunate news for you." Wu sighs. "It would seem that we are low on finances, so I could not order new uniforms for you. I apologize."

"Hey, maybe we could use our old outfits and make something new out of them! You know, recycle them!" Lloyd states.

Akumu: "No…, we, cannot take that risk, Mr. Chumsworth. We need to get our heads in the clouds, to better prepare ourselves for that contingency…"

Chapter 3: "That Which Clouds the Future"

"He is near, and he is imprisoned… Are we truly bound by our actions? Or perhaps to our resolve?" A melodious, yet raspy, voice calls into the darkness. This same being enters into a gateway; a gateway into a sea of clouds…

"Klink, Dingggg!" An alarm clock bellows into the room, insistent on awakening its master. "Ugh, morning again? I just fell asleep!" a sleepy Lloyd groans as he switches off the cacophony of clatter emanating from his clock. "Aw! 9:00 already?" Lloyd cries out as he dashes to dress himself and head to Sensei Wu's Gallery.

Wu turns to see his pupil, who is quite a sight! Lloyd's outfit looks as wrinkled as a wavy potato chip, his hair worse than Kai's, and he is still wearing his morning slippers! "Hmm, you seem to have had quite a scuffle this morning already."

"Sorry, Sensei! I set my alarm, but I must've hit snooze a couple of times subconsciously!" Lloyd apologizes, downcast. Lloyd bows to emphasize his regret.

"I see. Well, you are here nonetheless, so you must still have some focus on your priorities. Please, sit." Wu gestures.

Lloyd sits down.

"Today, I want you to try an exercise: the refractor." Wu jumps up and makes a pose that spreads out his arms and legs like the human anatomic diagram.

Lloyd attempts to mimic Wu, but has trouble keeping steady. "What will this teach me?" Lloyd struggles to ask as he attempts to hold the pose.

Wu effortlessly maintains his posture and balance. "In time, you will see, but for now, focus. Focus on keeping balanced, and imagine yourself as a mirror; you are reflecting light off of yourself using your whole body."

Lloyd watches Wu, and for a brief moment, Lloyd could've sworn he saw Wu glitter very faintly, but briefly. "Alright," Lloyd breaths in slowly, and holds the pose. Meditating, Lloyd holds the pose and finds it grow slightly easier to remain balanced as he continues to remain still. A sudden thought startles him, throwing him off his pose and landing on his back.

Wu helps Lloyd off the ground, "My nephew, you were doing well. Practice this pose, for it will help you with your future training. Focus."

"Yes, Sensei." Lloyd then realizes what startled him: he is close to being late at Sensei Wu's Academy! "Being a teacher is a full-time job! And I'm a ninja on top of that!" Lloyd thinks to himself as he dashes off again to prepare for the utter chaos that is teaching children.

Wu sighs as his student departs, "I only hope that you remain diligent in your training, for I fear that your training will be needed, very soon…"

Lloyd uses his dragon to deliver himself to Sensei Wu's Academy. As Lloyd burst through the entrance, the rest of the Ninja see Lloyd running toward them.

"Lloyd! You're cutting it close!" Jay complains.

"Yes, you were 2.54 seconds away from arriving late!" Zane adds tensely. "As humorous and ironic as it would be for the teacher to be tardy, now is not the time!"

"Yeah! Do you expect us to survive these little monsters by ourselves?" Kai asks impishly with a slight glare.

"Relax, guys. I just got a late start today." Lloyd reassures as they trod to their classrooms.

The horde of kiddies bursts into the school, and into their first class with Cole…

Meanwhile, two shadows are scaling the Wailing Alps. "You'd think they'd install an escalator on this mountain!" Akumu shouts.

"Ideally, all mountains would possess pre-installed escalators, but we live in a world of disappointment." Pythor shouts back as he grabs a dangling icicle.

Akumu and Pythor reach the top of the mountain in record time. "It's truly fortunate that we encountered so little wind resistance!" Pythor smiles. "We should file for Ninjago World Records, since I believe we made record time or better!"

"Yes, and the Blind Man's Eye is passing overhead." Akumu points to the floating, cloudy vortex above them.

Akumu uses Airjitzu, while Pythor uses a jetpack to fly into the gateway to Cloud Kingdom. When they awake, they groan. "Next time, I think I'll pack some throw pillows to cushion our reentry…" Pythor shakes his head. "Cloud Kingdom? My reentry sensation's landing equated to the impact matching that of a solid rock!"

"We both have had worse landings though," Akumu tries to smile through a hiss.

"Mm hmm, that is true, but let's aim for a completely painless landing in the future!" Pythor replies quixotically.

The two grin as they reach the golden gate to Cloud Kingdom.

"Welcome to…Ah!" Fenwick gasps as he sees the twosome at the gate, walking on in.

"Yes, yes, blah, blah, blah, well if you don't mind, just step aside, heathen." Pythor hisses.

"Oh-ho! What happened to you? You look like you locked yourself away in a cage with Nimbus and expected to win the ensuing fight!" Akumu grins, then begins chuckling.

"W…well, you might not be…wait, hey! Why are you here?" Fenwick growls.

"I though your kingdom was the voice of destiny that foresaw all happenings in our world; so surely you already know our reason for visiting." Pythor sneers, arms crossed mockingly.

"Surely if you are so knowledgeable, you would know of how destiny seemed to be out of our grasp ever since the Preeminent's plan was set into motion." Fenwick replies tacitly.

"Hmm, a pity. Nothing's reliable anymore is it? So, I suppose you will show us in then?" Akumu frowns slightly, blinking rhythmically.

Fenwick sighs, "I suppose, but if you are here hoping to meet with the master writer, he is out today, busy as you can no doubt guess."

Pythor and Akumu glance at one another, smirk briefly, then nod, "I'm sure…"

The trio reaches the Writing Hall, and the scribes look up, then gasp in suprise. Fenwick begins walking down the aisle with Pythor and Akumu following behind him, when Akumu stops Fenwick. "So what information can you give us on a Djinn by the name of Nadakahn?"

"Nadakahn the Djinn is the prince of Djinnjago, and is currently sealed within the Teapot of Tyran. He was released, but thanks to the effort of the Ninja, he was resealed and can now never be released again. Meanwhile, his realm currently is in ruins due to the Ninja's destruction of the Cursed Realm." Fenwick explains monotonously.

"Is he the only surviving member of his kind?" Akumu asks.

Pythor meanwhile, is observing the room, searching for anything valuable or important that might be of use later on. He begins talking with some of the scribes, about the nature of the scrolls and their use.

"We do not know, we only control fate in Ninjago, not in the other realms; if we did, the Cursed Realm would have never escaped to Ninjago in the first place." Fenwick replies, with a hint of disgust.

Akumu nods politely as Pythor suddenly rejoins them. The trio return outside, only for Akumu to ask casually, "Now, I believe you can give me what I came here for." Akumu holds out his hand with a condescending expression.

"Ha, that amuses me. I'm impressed, few have amused me." Fenwick smiles at Akumu like a dog owner would smile at a puppy that was acting ferocious.

"Well then, I think it's safe to assume that this means nothing to you, right?" Akumu holds out Fenwick's scroll of Destiny while maintain his confident expression. Akumu strokes it, almost threateningly.

Pythor hisses to himself; all was going according to his plan.

"…" Fenwick cannot reply for fear has crippled his voice as he holds his hands together, cowering.

"Perhaps we understand each other now?" Akumu smiles as he rolls up the scroll in his hands.

"…Wa…wait here…" Fenwick dashes back inside the Hall.

Pythor and Akumu exchange knowing glances.

Fenwick returns hastily, and hands Pythor two scrolls. He then bows slightly to Akumu.

Pythor and Akumu look over the scrolls, then nod. Akumu hands Fenwick his scroll back, "See how much easier and peaceful it is when we understand each other? No violence is necessary, making it smoother for everyone." Akumu smiles gently, as does Pythor.

"Possibly the only true walkway to peace: mutual understanding. Hmm." Pythor comments as he stashes his scroll in his robe.

"Now please take us to your library, for we have research to do." Akumu asks smoothly.

Fenwick sighs, and leads them to their library, Strife Library to be precise.

As the trio is entering the Library, Akumu pauses; he frowns, feeling a strange chill like that of someone watching him, but there is not a soul in sight. Akumu shrugs it off and follows the two inside the Library. After Fenwick leaves them to their studies, Pythor turns to Akumu, whispering inconspicuously, "So now what are we really after? Our plan was merely to obtain our scrolls, was it not?"

Akumu begins surveying the room, watching the servants tend to the various chores to maintain homeostasis in the library. "We get to choose one," Akumu points to the servants working.

Pythor looks confused, eyelids slightly tilted, "What? A book? Or one of those little ones running about?"

"Both."

Pythor's eyes narrow, but he says nothing. Vaguely piecing Akumu's plan together, Pythor then decides to begin excavating the library's resources in hopes of finding an inkling of information about their Djinn enemy.

The Librarian is ordering the servants about, and begins to give orders to each one. Akumu watches as the Librarian's tone of voice changes based upon the servant the order is being given to. After all the orders were sent, the Librarian turns back to his own work. Akumu walks up to one of the servants, one who had gotten a poor reception from the librarian, and asks, "So, do you enjoy working here?"

The servant looks at Akumu, and growls, "No, obviously! You downers sure are dense!"

Akumu lowers his eyelids, "Sorry I asked."

"Don't be! I actually enjoyed this conversation despite everything!" the servant boy hisses with sincerity, much to Akumu's surprise.

Akumu then goes up to another servant, a servant girl with darkened navy-blue, rounded, hair that parts on the left side and flows over her forehead in two directions. Her eyes looked lifeless, contradicting her active movements. Akumu starts to say something, then thinks better of it and moves on to the next servant. He repeats the questioning on all the servants that had poor standings with the head Librarian.

Meanwhile, Pythor has been reading books on Djinnjago, and the lore surrounding it. The Librarian catches on to Akumu's antics, and walks up to him, "Are you trying to inspire insubordination? Such is a punishable offense here, outsider, I'll…" The Librarian notices that Akumu is holding a scroll of Destiny. This causes a great hiss/sigh out of the Librarian, "What is our kingdom coming to? We're letting strangers take their scrolls and romp off on their merry way? Next thing you know, they will be taking our servants with them back to their home worlds!"

"Why, you have it exactly! And I want that one!" Akumu smiles as he points at the servant girl who is stacking scrolls on the shelves and dusting the shelves off to rid them of Ink-mites. Ink-mites are nasty little vermin that eat the scrolls in Cloud Kingdom, including scrolls of Destiny. The servant girl, with dark navy-blue hair, makes no reaction to Akumu's statement.

The Librarian on the other hand, laughs heartily, then glares down at Akumu, "Yes, and I suppose you have my scroll and plan to…wait, did you point at Korinthos?"

"Is that her name?"

"The servant you pointed to, that one is named Korinthos. You want her? You can take her," the Librarian scoffs with a grin. "I though you actually wanted something of value. She's yours if you want. Here's her scroll."

Akumu takes the scroll cautiously, but finds it to be real. He tilts his eyebrows at the librarian, but then nods, "Well, then bring her to me, if you please."

The Librarian nods almost indifferently, "Korinthos! Front Desk, Posthaste!"

Korinthos jumps up, and abandons her work, and stands at attention in front of the Librarian.

"Your occupation here is scheduled to be terminated, starting immediately." The Librarian states loudly, but completely void of emotion.

Korinthos suddenly looks at the Librarian, and her eyes widen. She gets on her knees slowly, shaking.

"Aw, you knew full and well that your time here would not last. Do not act so surprised." The Librarian smiles, mock-sympathetically.

Akumu wonders to himself if the cruelty to this girl is due to her gender, but as he surveys the room again, he sees there is an even distribution of servant boys and girls. This effectively debunks that theory.

Korinthos looks up at the Librarian meekly, holding her hands very submissively. "…I…have done my part in m…m..my occupation…and…I…I," she whimpers softly.

"Fret not, we already have your replacement in production now. Your position will be filled in a few hours, so it is of no concern." The Librarian soothingly replies in a calloused voice.

"….I…kn..know…I…am…n..not needed, but…I…do..not want…" Korinthos leaps at the desk in desperation, with a pleading face, "I can…be…I…could!"

"I know, dear, but you cannot argue with progress, and your ineloquence certainly is not to your benefit." The Librarian pushes Korinthos back onto the floor mechanically.

Korinthos lays down, eyes closed, body tense in anticipation.

"Yes, well get yourself off the floor. You may have finally been given good fortune since you will not be recycled, but rather, you will be given as a gift of friendship to this distinguished young man." The Librarian gestures to Akumu, who glares.

"At least someone finally noticed I used that new moisturizer today…" Akumu blinks disdainfully.

The Librarian shrugs it off, "Well, what are you waiting for? Show some respect to your new master!"

Korinthos gets up slowly, but begins to tear up only to bite her lip.

"Very well, then I shall 'assist' you." The Librarian leaps out of his chair, and pulls Korinthos up by an arm like a parent might lift a child, and orders her slightly louder than he had a minute ago, "I command you to properly introduce yourself to your new owner, now!"

Korinthos then is released from the Librarian's grip, and Korinthos bows on her knees in front of Akumu. "Gre…greetings. M….m…my name is Korinthos; how may I serve you?" she manages very quietly and weakly, through gritted teeth, clearing her throat to hold back her voice's cracking and closing her eyes to avoid tears.

Akumu gets on his knees and bows in response, "My name is Akumu. It is nice to meet you." He shakes her hand courteously which gets her to look up at him momentarily, confused.

Pythor, having finally has finished his research and having taken the book with the most comprehensive history on Djinn kind, slithers up to the scene taking place. "Well, my research is complete; if you are ready, we may take our leave I should think."

Akumu stands back up and nods, "Yes. We have completed our checklist here…" Akumu motions to Korinthos to follow them, which causes her to frown fearfully.

Korinthos turns back to the Librarian, who pulls out a whip and smacks the tip of her ankle with it; this causes her to cry out very briefly, but she grits her teeth together to keep from yelping further. Understanding the message, she begins running toward Akumu and Pythor.

"Farewell, and I hope you have a pleasant future. Enjoy your new servant. I really mean it; you saved us some trouble!" the Librarian shouts out as a goodbye to Akumu.

Akumu nods, "You are welcome, and thank you for noticing my newly enhanced complexion." Pythor pivots to face Akumu with a look of utter bafflement, only to roll his eyes with a hiss as they continue on their way out of the Library. Outside the Library, Akumu pauses very briefly, since he feels a chill behind him; he frowns, then shrugs it off as they reach a set of flying ships. Not slowing, he and his two companions head down to commandeer a flying dingy to return to Ninjago.

"Well, I think that last action by that cretin of a supervisor was unnecessary," Akumu comments, looking over the book Pythor had stolen.

"Not as unnecessary as bringing home this souvenir," Pythor points to Korinthos, which makes her look toward the ground as she sits quietly, refusing to make eye contact.

"So you might think…" Akumu replies as they return through the Blind Man's Eye.

After landing their air-boat onto solid ground, the trio disembarks their dingy and heads back to Ninjago City via a hovercraft designed by Pythor. During the trip, Pythor turns to Akumu and asks, "You took her in the spur-of-the-moment for a reason?"

"Of course, our scrolls alone are useless to us, for only a resident from Cloud Kingdom can write in a scroll of Destiny."

"But I asked the lads myself: apparently a ninja dribbled some ink on a scroll and it did adversely affect the future of the person the scroll was linked to!" Pythor argues. Thinking a moment, Pythor suddenly squints, "But they also said that only a native of Cloud Kingdom had the power to edit the scrolls…"

"True, but it still was in the possession of a native to Cloud Kingdom, so the rule still applied since it was being written by said native." Akumu answers.

"So, not only do we have the closest equivalent to a complete chronology of Djinnjago and additionally have our Destiny scrolls, but also someone…" Pythor's thoughts align perfectly at last.

"Someone who can manipulate them for us should it ever become necessary…" Akumu finishes with a prideful smile. "Truthfully, I was listening to your conversation more than the one I was having with Fenwick."

Pythor too smiles sneakily, "You did learn well! I must be quite the teacher! It was clever, and something those blowhards would never suspect!"

The two look over at Korinthos, with a pleased smile. She does not look up.

"And the best part? Look what else I brought along as a memento!" Akumu holds out another scroll: Fenwick's.

Pythor does a double take, then blinks in surprise. "Hah! My boy, you never cease to impress! Always prepared, aren't you?"

"As I've said: if you can, why shouldn't you?" Akumu agrees with a slightly mischievous grin of his own.

The duo nod at one another as they begin coasting into Ninjago City.

"Wait, wait. You've never uttered such a catchphrase!" Pythor scolds Akumu, but then gives him a wicked grin, "You truly have learned well…"

Pythor and Akumu part ways in the sewers of Ninjago City, with Akumu taking Korinthos with him. "Thank you for avoiding to ask me to house her for you, since I definitely would have refused." Pythor shakes Akumu's hand in farewell.

"Of course, I pray you have a good evening, and I shall see you tomorrow at Curiosi-Tea." Akumu replies as he and Korinthos begin leaving.

Pythor heads back to his dwelling whilst Akumu takes Korinthos home to his apartment in Ninjago City. Korinthos has been perfectly silent the entire journey, and even upon their arrival in Akumu's living room, she remains mute. Akumu taps her to get her attention, "This room to the right of mine is my guest room; this is where you will be sleeping. Please make yourself at home, since you will be staying here a while."

Korinthos bows submissively, "Thank you, Master."

"Another thing: although I admit it sounds appealing, please don't call me 'Master'."

"As you wish, Milord," Korinthos replies in her gentle voice as she bows.

"Just call me Akumu, please. I appreciate the respect, though."

"As you wish, Lord Akumu," Korinthos frowns slightly but her voice remains unchanged as she bows again.

Akumu takes a deep breath and sighs in resignation. "Alright, I will see you tomorrow morning, and I expect you to be ready to help out at our tea boutique tomorrow, please."

"As you wish, Lord Akumu," is Korinthos's gentle reply. She then retires to the guest room, and closes the door.

Akumu isn't sure, but he thinks he hears a nearly inaudible sound of crying on the other side of the guest room door. Akumu decides it best to call it a night himself, but he cannot shake one question off his mind: who was watching them in Cloud Kingdom today?


	4. Mending a Broken Spirit

Previously on Ninjago,

"Today, I want you to try an exercise: the refractor." Wu jumps up and makes a pose that spreads out his arms and legs like the human anatomic diagram.

Lloyd attempts to mimic Wu, but has trouble keeping steady. "What will this teach me?" Lloyd struggles to ask as he attempts to hold the pose.

Wu effortlessly maintains his posture and balance. "In time, you will see, but for now, focus. Focus on keeping balanced, and imagine yourself as a mirror; you are reflecting light off of yourself using your whole body."

Akumu uses Airjitzu, while Pythor uses a jetpack to fly into the gateway to Cloud Kingdom. When they awake, they groan. "Next time, I think I'll pack some throw pillows to cushion our reentry…" Pythor shakes his head.

"Welcome to…Ah!" Fenwick gasps as he sees the twosome at the gate, walking on in.

"Now, I believe you can give me what I came here for," Akumu holds out his hand with a condescending expression.

Chapter 4: "To Mend a Broken Spirit."

"Sealed, trapped, bound. Words, each with the same meaning, but with differing intensities, and different connotations. Do the choices of our words affect our outcomes? Or do words mean nothing? The people of the clouds highly value words, whereas the other realms place meaning in other venues…" A smooth, silky voice ponders. This being with the fluctuant vocal cords then enters into another realm gateway, soon entering a world all-to-familiar…

"Welcome to Curiosi-Tea! Salutations and welcome to Curiosi-Tea! Greetings and might I be the first to welcome you into Curiosi-Tea!" Pythor begins reciting various greetings for the customers when Akumu and Korinthos enter the door. "Welcome to…oh good, you decided to make an appearance." Pythor greets somewhat impatiently, trying to hide the fact that he was embarrassed about his recital of greetings.

"Yes, my condolences for our tardiness." Akumu replies apologetically with a brief bow of contrition.

"I'm guessing the girl slowed you down, hmm?" Pythor smirks teasingly.

"Actually, she was ready before I was. You have me to blame," Akumu rebuts with a grin.

Pythor slithers over and hands Akumu his gear for the store. "Well, it's a fresh workday, so we best begin." Pythor glances at Korinthos, "So, what occupation can she fulfil?"

"She will begin organizing our inventory, and I shall begin packaging any orders we received while we were gone; you did leave our answering machine on, correct?"

"Yes, I did. We have seven product orders to package and ship." Pythor reads off the list of orders, and Akumu writes them down.

Akumu then takes Korinthos with him so as to explain how to take inventory, which she begins to do shortly after her instructions are given. Satisfied, Akumu returns to packing the tea crates.

Another morning, another lesson; at least for Lloyd Garmadon as he awakens on time today! After reciting his morning mantra, Lloyd heads to Wu's Gallery for the lesson of the day.

"Your timing has improved my pupil, but are you…!" Wu suddenly jumps up and stands on one hand. "Ready for this?"

Lloyd flinches in surprise, then tries to imitate the motion.

"Good! Now, combine this pose with your previous pose!" Wu shouts as he proceeds to do so.

Lloyd too, does so, and begins to struggle.

"Final step, use Spinjitzu!" Wu uses Spinjitzu while still on one hand and in his pose.

Lloyd groans as he too begins to do so, and when he does, a bright, but brief flash occurs all around him whilst he is performing Spinjitzu. "Woah!" Lloyd loses focus and falls on his back, which Wu helps him up from.

"Good, Lloyd. You see why I asked you to practice that pose?"

"Kinda, yeah. I felt something strange, Sensei. An almost entirely different element." Lloyd answers.

"Yes, and in time you will come to realize that element. But for now, practice that sequence again, with more focus."

Lloyd proceeds to do so a few more times, and although he fails to hold the movement for long, it is enough to satisfy Wu for that day's lesson.

"Tomorrow, we shall continue to practice this, along with another step once you have mastered this much."

"As you wish, Sensei." Lloyd bows in understanding. He then leaves to rejoin the other ninja at Wu's Academy once again.

Wu watches his student leave to his duties, "I felt a disturbance this morning, so I hope you master this soon, so I pray…"

Meanwhile at Curiosi-Tea, Akumu has finished packaging the products, and it's nearly noon. "Heh, well, I suppose now might be a good time for our lunch hour, eh?" Akumu sighs with a tired smile.

"Yes, I concur, but what about the girl?"

"Korinthos, do you want to accompany us?"

Korinthos turns to face Akumu, "If it would be of more use, I can remain behind and watch over things in your absence, Lord Akumu." Her face betrays little emotion.

"…Very well, but in our absence, you will be required to answer the phone and write down orders and names for us to fill if we should still be away." Akumu looks at her curiously.

"As you wish, Lord Akumu," is the soft, mechanical reply in synch with a bow.

Akumu nods, then he and Pythor head out to Chen's Noodle House, (hey, just because Pythor hates Chen doesn't mean he hates noodles!).

In Akumu's absence, Korinthos begins sitting at the desk, since she already organized all the teas. She then decides to start arranging the still-packaged teas that were to be shelved. As she does, one slips from her hands, and she lunges to catch the glass container it's in; in the process, she scrapes her arm on the shoulder of a new drawer, and hits her head on the shelf in front of her. Grimacing, she dusts herself off and places the tea in its place, then returns to the others. She does however, find some plastic wrap to wrap her arm in to help it remain steady and clean.

A sudden ding of the doorbell hanging on the door of Curiosi-Tea catches Korinthos' attention as Misako enters the building.

"Hello! Oh, who are you?" Misako asks, surprised.

Korinthos clears her throat. "Welcome to Curiosi-Tea, how may I serve you today?" is her rehearsed reply.

Misako frowns in slight suspicion and lets out a quick, empty laugh, "Well, I… did Pythor sell this place already?"

Korinthos shakes her head, "Mr. Chumsworth is not in right now, so how may I help you?"

Misako notices Korinthos' arm, "What happened? Are you alright?"

Korinthos replies somewhat coldly, "I am fine; how may I help you?"

Misako sighs to herself, not buying it, but then returns to her mission, "I need to place an order for five packages of Clementine Tea, if you have any."

Korinthos nods politely. "Please be seated, I will return with the item you requested momentarily." Korinthos disappears into the back room.

Misako frowns to herself. "That poor girl; Pythor's working her to death. I won't act now, but surely Wu will agree with me…that something…!" Misako thinks to herself.

Just as Misako begins to return from her thoughts, Pythor bursts through the door and Akumu is with him.

"Oh, I assume you have already been helped, hmm?" Pythor asks courteously with glinting eyes.

"Y..yes, I have, thank you. Who is this girl?" Misako points to Korinthos, who has returned from the back room.

"Here is five packages of Clementine tea; that will be fifty-two, thirty seven." Korinthos rings up the tea on the register.

"Her? She's our newest employee; nothing to be concerned about." Pythor replies dismissively.

Akumu nods, then suddenly notices Korinthos' arm and runs up to her, gently grasping it. "What did you…?"

Korinthos eyes widen sharply. She looks at him very fearfully, and whimpers, "…I…I..alm..almost dropped a jar of…tea… and… I…slipped….but the tea is fine!" She bows to him submissively, trembling and eyes closed.

Akumu frowns thoughtfully, "Well, there is certainly something to be said for giving your all for your job." Akumu is mentally aware of the stare coming from the direction of Misako.

Korinthos looks at him very meekly, "please, mas...er…Lord Akumu, spare me your punishment…please?"

Pythor meanwhile, has rung up the tea for Misako; she has paid for it and is about to leave. Misako looks sharply at Akumu, almost scornfully.

This gets Akumu to frown in confusion. "I do hate to do this, and thank you for your business, but it would seem as though we may need to close shop for a while…"

Pythor nods, "Yes, so please, do show yourself out…" Pythor dismisses Misako with a wave of his hand.

Misako does so, but only because she knows she cannot take on Pythor and Akumu herself. She returns to her car and begins heading back to the Airjitzu Temple. "Wu will agree with me, I know something is wrong at this bou-tea-que," Misako smirks at her own terrible mental pun as she approaches the center of Ninjago City…

With that awkward situation over, Akumu gently releases Korinthos' injured arm, "You sure scraped it; doesn't it hurt?"

"Not as much as a punishment from you will hurt, so please, can this be my punishment? Please?" Korinthos begins to tear up very slightly as she tenses out of fear.

Akumu sighs as he reaches into the desk that the register sits upon, and pulls out a powder. He then pours water into the powder, and rubs it onto Korinthos' arm; this causes her to flinch and grimace momentarily, then flush as the sensation begins to tingle her arm pleasantly. In moments, her arm is healed!

Korinthos blinks as she looks at Akumu in surprise, "…you are not angry…Sir?"

Akumu frowns playfully, "Why would I be angry? Nothing was damaged that couldn't be fixed, and you organized all of our new arrivals today! If anything, you deserve a reward of some kind!"

"She what?" Pythor begins scanning each and every shelf to see if all is in order. "Hah, well, she did. Then, I suppose, we have nothing else to do today unless another order or customer arrives. Ha-ha!" Pythor smiles, pleased; he flips his tail onto the front counter, relaxing. He turns to Korinthos, "I guess you've earned your keep for now, so don't slack off and you'll be earning your share very soon!" Pythor then slaps Akumu on the back with a prideful smile. "I see why you chose this one; she was easy to get, and does better than all those other scrubs ever would have, willingly at least."

Akumu nods in agreeance, then takes Korinthos' hand, startling her, "Thank you, please let me reward you properly: you didn't have anything to eat today yet, so we will find a place you like."

Korinthos nods politely, "As you wish, Lord…oh!" Akumu begins leading her before she can finish her mechanical mantra. Akumu grins at her as she runs to keep up with him as they rush to a chopper of Akumu's.

"Hold on tight, ok?"

"As you…ah!" is the last Korinthos can say before they blast out of the tea shop lot and off toward the city. She holds to Akumu tight as they start accelerating…

"And that's why I think they are up to something, something horrible! Surely you think it sounds like a kidnapping?" Misako finishes with a worried inflection.

Wu looks at her, then nods, "I see your concern, and I agree that we need to find out more. Be wary of jumping to conclusions, however. Are any of our ninja nearby?"

Misako begins searching on their large flat screen monitor in the front of the room, "All of the ninja are in Ninjago City except Lloyd: Jay and Nya are at the theater, Cole and Kai are at Chen's Noodle house, and Zane is at Borg Tower." Misako's attention is drawn to Pythor's tea shop on the monitor's display, "A motorcycle just left Curiosi-Tea, and is making multiple stops in the city. Shall we monitor it?"

Wu smiles, "Indeed we shall."

Misako smiles at Wu warmly.

Wu returns the friendly glance, then sees something on-screen, "Is that the girl you mentioned?" Wu points at the girl aboard the chopper.

"Yes, that's her, and there's that Akumu fellow too."

"What are they looking for?"

Misako curls her lip in evaluation, "Their stops are at various restaurants, so perhaps they are trying to find a place to eat? But Pythor and he had just returned from eating shortly after I had ordered the tea today. So, perhaps…" Misako gasps. "Perhaps it's about the punishment the poor dear was afraid of!"

Wu frowns and strokes his beard. "Look there, they are stopping and entering Chen's Noodle house. Can you contact Kai and Cole?"

Misako nods and begins patching in communications…

At Chen's Noodle house, Kai is chatting it up with Skylor, "Yeah, I singlehandedly defeated your father, again. Day of the Departed was just another reminder of his powerlessness against the likes of me!" Kai lights his hand on fire to emphasize his awesomeness.

"I see, well you'll have to excuse me from your war tales 'fire-boy'; I have customers." Skylor smirks while she cocks her thumb behind her at two incoming travelers.

"Fine, but…wait, Hey! I know him, that's that tea guy, Akumu!" Kai looks at Akumu, curiously.

"Hey, heads up, Sensei just contacted me and said we gotta keep our eyes on Akumu tonight, and his mysterious new friend." Cole sidles up to Kai's seat and whispers.

"Huh? Oh, got it." Kai begins glaring toward Akumu's table.

Akumu notices the two ninja, then waves a hand in a friendly manner. Akumu then twitches his eyebrows at Kai's eternal glare, and seconds afterward Akumu smiles humorously. Akumu walks up to the two ninja: "Well, can you be bothered to say hello or are you going to stare at me until the wallopers come home?"

Cole smacks Kai, then shakes Akumu's outstretched hand, "Sorry about that, we just were surprised to see you here."

"Well I am human; I have to eat too." Akumu grins.

Skylor meanwhile has arrived at Akumu's table, and attempts to take Korinthos' order. Korinthos blushes and looks away fearfully. Skylor shakes her head, then asks if she can at least bring some water.

"Please ask m…m…L...Lord Akumu," Korinthos replies quietly, still looking away.

Skylor sighs in a fluster, then walks up to Akumu, "Look, your friend needs some lessons in restaurants; she asked me to ask you what to give her."

Akumu bows in apology, then orders something for them both. "My apologies, but please do not fault her for it; she has her reasons." Akumu turns to Kai and Cole, "Would you like to join us?"

"Sure!"

"Wait, I still haven't finished my story with Skylor…Ow, hey!" Kai is interrupted by Cole yanking his hair to get him to follow them to Akumu's table. Korinthos, who had been sitting on the opposite side of Akumu, suddenly sees the trio and switches to Akumu's side of the table.

"Huh, not a fan of strangers." Cole smiles teasingly at her. "So, I didn't get your name."

Korinthos will not look at him, and begins looking down at her silverware.

Akumu sighs, slightly perturbed. "So, what mission has Wu sent you on now?" he asks cheerfully.

Cole smiles as Skylor places the first course of food in front of them. "Well," Cole begins with a half-full mouth, "We've been teaching at his academy but otherwise, nothin'."

"So when'd you get her?" Kai bluntly asks while pointing at Korinthos.

Cole nearly chokes on his food and glares at Kai with a stuffed mouth. "Mmm!" Cole murmurs.

"What?" Kai shrugs.

Akumu smiles tolerantly, "I was beginning to wonder when you'd ask; she joined us just yesterday. Her name is Korinthos."

"Huh, well, nice to meet you Kori!" Cole attempts to be humorous.

"Lord Akumu, does my name translate to Kori in your world?" Korinthos tugs at Akumu's sleeve.

Akumu shakes his head, "No, that was just a bad jest on his part. Without his vittles, his humor suffers with his hunger."

Kai smirks at Cole briefly.

"Hey, take a joke, okay? Jay's not the only wisecracker around here. Ooh! My Mushu Mushu!" Cole begins chugging his noodles mere milliseconds after Skylor places them on the table.

"So, does Wu still think I kidnapped Korinthos?" Akumu probes with a slightly sinister tone.

Cole nearly chokes again, "Oh, come on! How do you keep guessing these things!"

"Cole! You totally just gave us away!"

"Yeah? Well the second you asked how he got her sure wasn't suspicious in of itself!"

"Girls, you're both pretty, can we move on?" Akumu asks, halfway overwrought.

Both ninja sigh, "Yeah…"

"Good, now what you need to know is that Korinthos is safe with me. If you will not take my word, you may ask her."

"But that's just it! How can we trust her word? You could have already given her the perfect lines to say in response!" Cole counters.

"Hmm, true," Akumu sighs. "What will it take to convince you then?"

"How about you bring her to Sensei; surely he can tell the truth from a lie." Kai answers.

"…Very well, I will stop by tonig…"

"No, how about after this meal?" Kai interrupts.

"…Fine."

Kai nods and the meal proceeds.

Korinthos does actually find one dish she likes: sea trout sushi! She eats five plates worth, (each plate has four sushi). She actually smiles at Akumu, very discreetly and very briefly, and then returns to normal and thanks him.

The ninja, as well as Akumu and Korinthos, depart for the Airjitzu Temple…

In the City of Stixx, a young man is digging through the rubbish piles. "Perhaps here? It does feel, familiar, somehow…" the voice of the man whispers to himself, until he is interrupted.

"Hey, what are you digging for?" A construction worker inquires with his hands on his hips, foot tapping in impatience.

"My sincerest apologies, for I had no idea a permit was required to dig here…" the young man's smooth voice replies soothingly as he mildly turns to face the worker.

"Well, you don't…look, just try not to cause any damage, okay? We just finished repairing our docks after those blasted ninja destroyed them a few months ago," the construction supervisor replies, with less impatience and a calmer tone.

"It will be to both our benefits, I assure you. I can guarantee that I will cause no damage, for a good relic hunter does not hunt at other's property's expense…" comes the clear, pacifying reply from the young man.

This satisfies the construction supervisor, and the young man continues to dig for a couple more hours before retiring to a small drink shack on the docks.

"Alas, not a shred of evidence in its wake…perhaps I must be more direct in my search," the young man sighs. He turns to see a newsreel on a television mounted on the side of the drink shack.

"I am here, live, at Ninjago Theater, where if you rush down here right now, you just might get a chance to meet the one and only Ninja couple of the century: Jay and Nya! Better dash on down before they blast off on those sweet dragons of theirs!" the television announcer blares excitedly.

"Hmm, those are the ones…yes…those are the ones…" the young man's voice trails off as he finishes his drink while staring at Jay and Nya whilst they are onscreen. The young man then disposes of his cup, then sets out to find a train…

At the Airjitzu Temple, the ninja, excluding Jay and Nya, are all in the main lobby when Akumu and Korinthos arrive. "Hey, Akumu!" Lloyd greets Akumu politely.

Akumu shakes Lloyd's hand, "Hello, Mr. Garmadon. Allow me to introduce my new employee, Korinthos." Akumu gives Korinthos no instructions, but she does shake Lloyd's hand in the same fashion as Akumu, albeit much more loosely.

Lloyd smiles at Korinthos, and then returns to his room to grade his students' papers; fun, fun…

Zane also greets Akumu, "Greetings, Mr. Rodrigo."

Akumu nods, "And the same to you, Mr. Roberts." Both Akumu and Zane bow slightly in mutual respect.

Korinthos bows slightly as well, although not nearly as dramatically as when with Akumu previously.

Finally, Sensei Wu appears. "Hello, young man. I see you have a new acquisition."

Akumu bows respectfully, "Greetings, Wu. Yes, this is Korinthos." Akumu gestures to her.

Korinthos glances at Akumu, but says nothing.

"Well, from what my ninja have told me, you seem to understand our reason for calling you here."

"Yes, I understand; how may I prove myself to you?"

Wu closes his eyes as he ponders thoughtfully, then beckons to them to follow him. Wu leads them to a dojo in the temple. Wu sits on one side of the arena, "Now, to prove yourself, the two of you will fight. Whoever wins shall decide where she stays. Begin whenever both of you are ready."

Akumu is startled, teeth slightly gritted and eyebrows raised. "S..sir, you are surely jesting, right?"

"No. Please, take your positions." Wu gestures to the two sides of the arena.

The ninja too are baffled, but make no comment.

Korinthos and Akumu take their positions, then Wu raises a hand, "Ready? Begin!" Wu claps his hands to start the match.

Akumu sighs and frowns. "If I fight her and win, that certainly will end in misery for us both." Akumu dashes at Korinthos, only to leap to the side of her in anticipation of an attack.

Korinthos looks utterly defenseless as she watches Akumu.

"Korinthos, you have to fight me! I'm sorry, but it's the only way!" Akumu shouts at her.

Korinthos looks at him, then very half-heartly picks up a weapon that is in the middle of the arena, a flail, and proceeds to throw it at him.

Akumu dodges it swiftly, when a sudden thought strikes him, "Wait! If I let her win, that would look just as suspicious and twisted! But then I…" Akumu suddenly nods to himself, and dashes at Korinthos, takes the weapon she just picked up, and proceeds to snatch all the remaining weapons in the center of the arena.

Korinthos sees this, then sits down and tenses for her demise; her eyes are closed in defeat, since she will not fight back.

Akumu then throws all the weapons at the wall where Wu was sitting! "Take your weapons of war!" he hisses as they fly at Wu.

Wu leaps up and snatches them all.

"I refuse to fight her. If it must come to this, then I'd rather you take her into your care than hurt her any more than she already is!" Akumu shouts angrily, facing Wu tensely.

Wu takes the weapons, and sets them behind him. "Indeed, the greatest weapon is not one of brute force, but rather one inside of each of us: our mind. It would seem as though you understand this, which is what I wished to demonstrate, so thank you for helping me with my demonstration and proving my point."

Akumu steps back in confusion, then nods in understanding; his expression softens slightly. Korinthos looks up, sees she is still alive, and that Akumu is no longer holding any weapons. She then runs up to Akumu, and begins very softly, but sincerely, thanking him for not hurting her as she bows at his feet. He then apologizes to her softly.

"Yes, for it would seem that whatever place you brought this girl from, it is a place she would not soon return to. I am willing to assume you are watching over her well, for now." Wu finishes as he turns to his students. "Now do you see? He would rather lose her honorably than keep her for selfish ambitions." The ninja nod, impressed by their Sensei's wisdom in the otherwise, mine-ridden situation.

"Now to reward your courage and sympathy for those who cannot protect themselves, please allow us to treat you to dinner; for you, this girl, and Pythor too, should he be willing." Wu offers.

"Well, if you insist." Akumu replies more calmly while helping Korinthos stand up.

Wu smiles, "And perhaps, you might be able to participate in a small match with one of my ninja, for training purposes?"

Akumu grins darkly, "You are a bit presumptuous, but if that is what you wish…"

Korinthos frowns slightly at Akumu's tone, but still huddles to her friend's side regardless. Then both she and Akumu follow the Ninja, and Wu, to the dining hall.

After sitting down to eat, the group is suddenly greeted by Jay's whiny screeching caterwauling. Jay and Nya then sit down in their designated chairs just as Jay reaches the chorus of his song.

"Alright, Jay, you know the dinner table rules: no singing at during dinner unless it's someone's birthday." Cole groans.

"Oh, come on Cole! Soften up! Because you guys'll never guess!" Jay smiles broadly.

"You're finally resigning so we can replace you with Skylor?" Kai sarcastically asks.

"What? No! We, being Nya and I, were recognized for our epic combat prowess! We have a fan!"

"Yeah! And not just because we got together again, but because we defeated the Djinn, Nadakahn!" Nya adds jollily.

All the other ninja, as well as Wu and Misako look at the two with baffled faces. Akumu's eyes flicker, and his attention is drawn to the conversation with sharper intent.

"Huh? What djinn?"

"Indeed, my database has no recollection of such a name or creature."

"Yeah, Jay. Stop making up tales to inflate your ego; that's my job."

"No really! We really…oh, wait…I guess that's right! You don't remember like how Lloyd doesn't remember Garmadon's Mega Weapon…" Jay's voice trails off.

Akumu's eyes thin, and he begins pondering this deeply to himself.

"Hey, hold on, if we are the…only…" Nya pauses as she looks at Jay. They both gasp.

"Aw! And I told him what happened to Nadakahn too! Oh, great now whoever that was can go off and try to find him himself! Just when I think it's safe…" Jay begins to rant like he usually does.

Akumu lets what he just heard sink in, then his pupils shrink very sharply. "Oh, dear…" Akumu's thoughts begin to swell and swivel rapidly as they churn inside his mind. After trying to process the thought flood, Akumu pulls out a mobile device and begins sending Pythor a warning message: "I felt it to be…oh, forget it! Just know that the fellow that was stalking us in Cloud Kingdom paid the ninja a visit! And now he can find their lost enemy! Keep me posted should you find out more! I will do the same!"

Korinthos sees Akumu's unnerved face, and grits her teeth in an attempt to control her emotions. She looks to Akumu for some comfort or explanation, but all he gives her is a quiet glance.

In no time, all the other ninja begin assaulting Jay and Nya with a sea of questions, which quickly overwhelms them.

"And you're certain that no one besides you and Nya are aware of this entity?" Wu tries to make sense of the cacophony of voices flooding everyone's eardrums.

"Yes, Sensei! Unless, Clouse could have…" Nya muses out loud. She then jumps up, as does Jay, and they fly off on their dual-dragon.

"Ah!…Sensei, what do we do?" Lloyd asks, strained.

"Find out who was asking these questions!" Wu replies, and the ninja turn to their monitor and begin viewing security footage by the cameras at the theater.

"…Sensei…there…is no image…there is no footage whatsoever.." Zane freezes.

"Quickly! Spread out and find this fellow, before this djinn can be released!" Wu commands as the Ninja blast onto their vehicles and follow after Nya and Jay. Wu himself boards his elemental dragon with Misako, and they are all gone in a moment.

Akumu recovers slightly from his mind fog. "…we'll have to see..." Akumu turns to the ninja's computer monitor. Korinthos sidles up right behind him. Akumu then pulls out an elaborately-decorated sword seemingly from nowhere and holds it up to the blank monitor. A faint picture begins to appear in the reflection of the sword…

On an island full of waste and refuse from not only the City of Stixx, but Ninjago City as well, a young man is digging heavily through the filth with a fervor unmatched. Finding a strange trophy in the shape of a blade, a translucent green dagger, and an odd gear-scythe combination, the tired man sighs in frustration. He then suddenly begins punching with his bare fists into the garbage in an almost blind fury. "It is here! Reveal thyself! Cursed Pot!" After blasting to the center of the trash only to find nothing, the nameless man growls in exhaustion. He then looks around the beach as he sighs, then suddenly catches an object in the corner of his eye. He crawls up to it, then nods with a tired smile, "There was only one thing left for me to do," the man gasps between breaths. The sore voice gradually melts into a gravelly, deeper, yet melodic sound, "…I have found you…brother…"


	5. There and Back A-Djinn

Previously on Ninjago,

Chapter 5: "There and Back A-Djinn."

An orange mist fills the small island of filth as Nadakahn burst out from the Teapot of Tyran, "…! Argh! Hah…w…wh..who…freed me?" Nadakahn thrashes around for a moment, still in shock of being released from his tiny tomb.

"Alas! My dear brother doth have lost memory of one of his own." The young man sighs as he looks upon Nadakahn with a pitying glance.

"How dare you speak of me in such a way! My world was destroyed twofold at the hands of those Ninja!" Nadakahn hisses in his accent.

"Hence my design to bear us the reckoning we have been tasked with, Brother." The young man's shape and voice have changed completely, and floating before Nadakahn is a six-armed, ghostly, grey being with a long, brown ponytail flowing down his back.

Nadakahn gasps, then bows at the feet of this fellow Djinn, "…Brother…you..survived! This is truly good news! I know where the realm crystal that was once mine has been taken! With it, we can take back what is ours!"

"Patience be with thee, brother. We still have much yet to conceive in our plan. I have already placed a crow in the nest, so we might have an advantage over our enemies."

"Maridakahn, you have already encountered the Ninja?"

"No, however, they are far from our concern, Brother. I am keeping a hawk's eye on a much more imminent threat; an angel's eye to be precise…" Maridakahn begins hissing a gravelly laugh.

"Akumu, are you alone?" Pythor's voice calls out on Akumu's mobile device.

Akumu yawns, "At the moment. Why?"

"Good, meet me at Curiosi-Tea early today, and leave a note to the girl to arrive as per our normal schedule."

"…Alright.." Akumu yawns again, for it is currently 6:03 a.m. He then writes up a note and places it on the living room table for Korin; Akumu grabs his necessities after preparing, then takes a chopper down to Curiosi-Tea.

"Ha-ha! I'm up on time!" Lloyd smiles as he leaps out of bed, cleans up, and rushes down to Wu's Gallery. When Lloyd arrives, the other ninja are also present.

"Sensei, we've found nothing, and no sign of the Djinn either." Kai reports.

"Yeah, and I can't say enough times how sorry I am Sensei!" Jay apologizes for the thousandth time.

"As I have taught you, we cannot change the past. We must prepare for the future; Lloyd!" Wu turns to face Lloyd.

Lloyd snaps to attention, "Yes, Sensei?" Lloyd then thinks to himself, "One of these days, Sensei needs to teach me how to know someone specific is in the same room without looking."

"I need you to find any allies you can to aid our search, for if the Djinn is released, he has apparently proven to be a worthy adversary." Wu orders gently.

"As you wish, Sensei!" Lloyd dashes of on his dragon to begin hunting down helpers.

The other ninja too, head off in their separate vehicles or dragons to resume searching for the Djinn.

Outside the Temple, Nadakahn whispers to his brother, "Do you see? They are a threat! Even now they search for us. Perhaps it might be wise to, say, find a few recruits of our own, hmm?"

"Patience be with you, dear brother. I have an awareness of these costumed connivers actions, so fret not. Our next concern is finding a special energy, an energy that can expand itself to multiple powers." Maridakahn replies softly, but firmly.

"Very well; where should we start?" is the last words uttered by the Nadakahn as the Djinn duo disappear from their strategic spying point watching the Airjitzu Temple.

Wu does not see the Djinn, but strokes his beard thoughtfully, "I only hope that the balance is not disturbed by the Djinns' lust for power…" Wu sighs to himself, then returns back inside the temple…

At Curiosi-Tea, Akumu casually, if not a bit sluggishly saunters into the shop. "Greetings, Mr. Chumsworth," is the tired greeting from Akumu.

"And salutations to you as well, but I feel it suitable to cut to the chase." Pythor slithers over to Akumu. Pythor looks around the building thoroughly, then nods in satisfaction. "That girl you received, she is concealing something under her cowardice."

Akumu looks long and hard at Pythor, then nods with a sigh of acknowledgement, "I see."

"You, do believe me, I presume?"

"…I do. After all, both of our lives are at stake if what you say is true, and I doubt you would bother otherwise. And besides, it makes too much sense when I run the tell-tale signs together." Akumu looks at Pythor tiredly. "But what do you recommend?"

"Well, quite frankly, I recommend we get the truth from her. You still possess that ability, correct?"

Akumu nods, his eyes flashing purple for a second.

"On another note, though, who would be using her? Even I cannot find it likely those ninja are behind something this extreme!"

"Most likely it's the being who was watching us, in Cloud Kingdom." Akumu suddenly hangs his head, "It must have got to her before us…"

About two hours later, Korinthos arrives to Curiosi-Tea. Pythor and Akumu greet her as they normally would. She greets them properly as well, and begins to start stocking the shelves like she normally would.

"So, are you feeling well? Nothing amiss?" Akumu probes gently, watching her work while he sits at the counter casually.

"I am functioning at full capacity, but thank you for your concern, Lord Akumu." Korinthos responds politely and quietly, not even turning to face him.

"Where does your loyalty lie, Ms. Korin?" Akumu asks further.

Korin takes a moment, and replies coyly, "…To yourself, milord."

Akumu looks at her long and hard, then nods and begins to return to his own work, but Korin pulls on his sleeve.

"…at least, that is where it should be…I should think. You tried to help me, but that is indeed what he had orchestrated for you…" she whispers, but quickly turns away back to stocking shelves.

"So I read, so please, explain yourself." Akumu glares, tolerantly.

Korin looks at the floor, while putting a glass jar of tea leaves on the shelf, "A being whose name I cannot speak aloud designed it for me to be his watchdog on you and Mr. Chumsworth."

"Well, traitors to us certainly have no place here, alive that is…" Pythor muses menacingly.

Korin says nothing, but stops stocking shelves.

"Do you have a reason for helping this someone?"

"Milord, you have seen the amount of value that masters place on me, so in my interest to survive, I chose to help this being." Korin replies tacitly. "I accept whatever fate you decide for me, so my life is in your hands," she adds submissively. She sits on the floor, showing no sign of a will to fight.

Akumu turns away from her and to Pythor, "…Well, I am open to suggestions."

"Enslavement is perhaps too good for scum of her caliber, so perhaps we could force-feed her one of Borg's diet pill rejects and then I'll digest her slowly over a couple centuries." Pythor smiles wickedly.

Akumu smirks, "Somehow, I suspected such an idea, but…" A sudden thought strikes Akumu, who motions Pythor to come closer. "What she says is true; do you not see? We truly do hold her life in our hands!" Akumu pulls out Korinthos's scroll.

Pythor's eyes glimmer in understanding, then thin into slits "I see, so she truly is at our mercy. Perhaps it's precisely what she wanted in the first place. Well, I leave her blood to you. I personally still have little use for her outside her current occupations."

Akumu nods, then sits down next to Korinthos, looking at her knowingly and patiently.

Korinthos sees his glance, then crawls on her knees to him cautiously. "…do you understand? I had no place to hide… I was destined for nothing, but I if could escape, I could keep my life," her voice replies in her consistent whisper. Her face looked gentle, but fearful. She puts a hand on Akumu's right foot very lightly, in an attempt to mimic touch as a way of showing emphasis, need, or affection.

Akumu puts a hand over hers, and nods.

Korinthos does not smile, but closes her eyes and relaxes slightly; she releases her hand, but then suddenly looks him directly in the eye. "Your enemy is an elderly Djinn by the title of Maridakahn. I wish I knew more, but he was wise enough to keep from telling me anything vital to his plans. My worth remains consistent in his eyes as it did the Librarian and the Archiver: worthless," Korinthos explains melodically. She then also adds, "In their defense," she suddenly grimaces slightly at the very thought of actually speaking on their behalf, "Those like myself are mass produced, like your kind produces frivolous appliances such as cars, blenders, and televisions; items that are easy to replace." Korin looks at the floorboards, but merely out of habit rather than trying to give off a pitiful display.

Pythor glances at Akumu lightning-quick, who turns and nods to Pythor. "But can you be sure? And even assuming she is genuine, what plan can we conceive to fight a Djinn? We have no weapons or relics to combat him!" Pythor complains with a glare while looking around at the teas on the shelves.

"We do have magic teas you know, but that's beside point. This new enemy is why our next vacation shall be to the tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master…so pack your things; we're going swimming." Akumu replies grimly.

In Ninjago City's own Borg Tower, "Lovely, just lovely. Another technological wonder, gone," Cyrus mourns as he sees his new SubBorg has inexplicably vanished. Zane wanders into the tower in search of any trace of the Djinn, and he runs into Cyrus.

"Hello, Mr. Borg. I do not suppose you have seen any trace of a djinn recently?"

"Greetings, Zane. No I have not, but one of my latest gadgets has been stolen, perhaps it could correlate with your mysterious character?"

Zane nods and scans the vicinity that the sub was resting in. "I can identify traces of both Pythor and his friend, Akumu. No link to the djinn can be found," Zane's vision fills with the data to the purloined submarine. "So Pythor was here, and he has stolen the sub, but for what purpose?" Zane ponders as he heads to rendezvous with the other ninja to inform them of his findings.

Zane's discovery reaches the other ninja quickly, and when Zane himself arrives, the ninja are already making plans.

"I guess those two were up to something; you don't think they'd unleash the djinn do you?" Lloyd asks.

"Maybe, but if they were with you guys at the temple while Nya and I were at the movies, then it really doesn't make sense!" Jay replies.

"Yeah, Lloyd. I don't think Pythor or the other guy can make themselves look like someone else and be with you at the same time!" Nya adds.

"Any idea where the sub is?" Cole asks.

"Any and all communications are disabled on the sub, and its tracking beacon has been disabled also, so no. Sorry." Zane answers.

"Well, keep your eyes out fellas," Lloyd finishes as the Ninja disperse again to continue their Djinn hunt…

"Seems as though your little bird regurgitated her lunch rather quickly, no?" Nadakahn smirks at his older brother wryly as they watch Akumu and company begin to board a submarine on Ninjago's coast.

"Patience, my dear brother. A good spy does everything within their power to bewitch the enemy…" Maridakahn's soothing voice floods the area around them.

"…true…I cannot help but notice that the Ninja still are on the prowl for us, and we have done nothing about it." Nadakahn comments.

"You continue to bestow such hesitation in confronting these children; give thy brother a better mental picture of these enemies, would you?" Maridakahn inquires smoothly.

"It is because of them our home realm is no more, as well as the reason I was entrapped in that teapot. Shall I go on?"

"Our home realm is in ruins, but it is not destroyed entirely. You assume too much, brother. A realm is not something that can be destroyed easily, regardless of whom holds control."

"Is not the Cursed Realm no more?"

At this, Maridakahn chuckles his hissy cough of a laugh, "In time, you will understand the true power of our realms. For now, I have located the energy source I seek; it is concentrated on an island outside the mainland of Ninjago, an island that once belonged to a devious, yet foolish man by the title of Master Chen."

Nadakahn smiles as he emptily laughs, "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Those are the last words uttered as the two vanish, on a mission to Chen's Island.

Akumu programs the sub to wait at a predetermined destination for their arrival after this task was complete. As the sub submerges to venture to that meeting point, the trio enters the tomb without a word between them. In the first chamber, the trio sees a turntable of doors to choose from.

"Let me see…" Akumu brandishes his decorated blade, and begins to let it shine off of the dull light of the chamber.

"Wait a moment! Where did you happen upon that trinket?" Pythor asks suspiciously with low eyelids.

"A gift from a friend, a couple years ago." Akumu replies with a smile as he glances into the blade's reflection.

"Milord, that blade's function resembles the Sword of Sanctuary. Is it a copy of that weapon?" Korin looks curiously at the ornate design of the blade.

"No, but you are correct that the abilities are similar between the two," Akumu replies, "Yes, so we simply go back in the same door."

The trio enters the second trial room. "Might that golden staff be worth anything?" Pythor notices the gleaming staff in the back of the room.

"Possibly." Akumu replies as he runs up to snatch it. A few steps onto the pathway, he freezes in his tracks. The sword's reflection gives a clear picture of the traps, snares and punishments that a false move would bestow. Akumu's shadow then creeps up along the room and reaches the golden staff. It then pulls the staff off its pedestal, and the staff rolls onto the floor. After picking up the staff, Akumu immediately drops it again.

"What, does it bite?" Pythor sneers.

Akumu hisses slightly, then shakes his head as he wraps the staff in a blanket. "There. Korin, here hold this." He hands it to her.

Korinthos blinks blankly, but says nothing as she watches Akumu with interest.

"Now the fun begins!" Akumu grins as he suddenly jumps up and lands with impact on a few different tiles in the room, causing the bottom of the floor to drop out.

Pythor and Akumu shout in hoorah as they begin skiing on the icy tunnel down the tomb's winding caves. Korin meanwhile nearly slips several times, so she uses the golden staff for stability. Gold sparkles twinkle on both of her shoulders' backsides momentarily, but only she notices.

At the end of the slippery tunnels, the trio shake themselves off and continue on only to find the maze of the tomb. Pythor nearly slips on the icy floor, only to be caught by Korin.

"Yes, well. My thanks" Pythor barely manages as he brushes his arm off, slightly disgusted.

"So then, these are supposed walls that can offer a glimpse into the future…" Akumu walks up to a wall, and sees a reflection of himself; this reflection shows him a bit older, and with a few dark silver highlights to his otherwise dark brown hair. It also shows him wearing a new robe, with wording that Akumu cannot make out.

Korin sidles up to Akumu and tries to see what he sees, but ends up seeing herself instead. Her reflection shows her with a slightly more aged face, and a completely different attire. Korin walks closer to her reflection, only to feel Akumu take her hand briefly for stability on the slick, icy floor. The millisecond he does however, both their reflections vanish! In their place, a fuzzy image begins to manifest itself: two people, together and with tired, but gentle, yet distinct smiles; one's arm is intertwined with the other's in a delicate fashion. This picture startles Akumu, who slips and lands on his hand and knees. He growls as he attempts to keep steady. The picture disappears the second he lets go of Korin.

"I did just see something resembling two holding hands in a rather intentional fashion in that mirror, did I not?" Pythor observes, his interest piqued.

"Yeah, I thought I did too," Akumu brushes off the sleet, then pulls out his scroll and holds it to the wall. The only thing that the wall reveals is that he will survive at least until the age of 43, for it mentions him celebrating his 43rd birthday. "Anticlimactic indeed, should I even be surprised?" Akumu rolls his eyes in a somewhat exaggerated manner.

Korin suddenly pulls Akumu's sleeve to get his attention, but for the split-second that she does, Akumu sees more of the scroll's words appear. "Korin, hold my sleeve again," Akumu's eyes cloud.

Korin cocks her head sideways slightly, "…As…you wish, milord." She does so.

"It must be because she's from Cloud Kingdom," Akumu's cloudy thoughts mull themselves over briefly. Akumu reads the new lettering that appears on the mirror, despite some of it being faint, "And he shall … the ….., he and his dearly beloved …..!" Akumu shakes his head and thinks to himself, "Am… I, misreading this? Or even misinterpreting it? I hold no one in that high of regard… What…changes…in me?"

Pythor glimpses some of the words, the part about Akumu's supposed "beloved" in particular, and begins to laugh, "Well then, I do hope I get the esteemed priveledge to be your best man!" Pythor sneers as he places a hand on Akumu's shoulder teasingly, only for the reflection in the cave to shift to an image of something resembling Pythor holding a child, only Pythor appears purple. "What the…!? Wait! Since when can I have a human child? That never happened!"

Akumu sees this a mere moment before it disappears since Pythor removes his hand from Akumu's shoulder. "I didn't even know you were capable of having a child, period," Akumu smirks.

Pythor glares at Akumu, "Alright, I desire this future to be changed. Have your petit mademoiselle edit it, if you please."

Akumu nods, and hands the scroll to Korin, who writes, "And Pythor shall never have any children, human nor Serpentine."

Pythor sighs in relief, "Wonderful, now yours next, correct?"

Korin turns to Akumu with emotionless eyes.

"Thank you, but I will pass." Akumu's answer is quiet, but clear.

"Any reason why?" Pythor glowers mildly.

"Because I'd rather know more about what I'm changing first," Akumu replies a-matter-of-factly. He then, out of pure curiosity, has his shadow briefly intersect with Pythor's, and Korin's; a very fuzzy image surfaces on the wall which does hold one particularly interesting detail: something that looks like Pythor is still holding a human child.

Pythor looks at him a moment, oblivious to what Akumu is staring at, but then grins and nods at Akumu's last statement.

Korin says nothing, and looks at Akumu with clear befuddlement

The trio then begins digging in the floor of the maze to enter the final chamber. Upon entering, the group is greeted by the resting site of the First Spinjitzu Master.

"So this is where that old geezer was laid to rest, and the realm crystal as well." Pythor observes the grave with interest. "We should make a museum here; we'd make a fortune, especially if we had guided tours,"

"The grave is of little importance now, but see that waterfall?" Akumu points to the small river flowing down the cliff nearby, "Perhaps something more is at the edge of the fount!" Akumu shouts as he leaps down the waterfall.  
Pythor and Korin watch, and see as he lands on a platform at the very bottom, then see him wave for them to follow. They land with a thud on the platform, and Akumu directs them to a cave behind the waterfall.

Inside the cave, the trio uses the golden staff as a light, and they find a chamber with a mysterious book on a pedestal in the center. "Old Man Spinjizu wrote an autobiography? I wonder if it's signed?" Pythor muses half-jokingly. Pythor holds the book to the light, then frowns. "Who scribbled this? I cannot hardly make out heads or tails of it!"

"It's a very old language, most likely used during the time of the first elemental masters. I assume this is for Wu…" Akumu replies.

"Can you make anything out?" Pythor hands Akumu the book.

"I never was fluent with the written word, so no. But, perhaps…Hmm…" Akumu glances at Korin, then turns back to Pythor. "Regardless, we need to leave, and we cannot bring the book through that waterfall since that will ruin it."

"Well, what a conundrum! No dice for simply skipping on our merry way, at least with the book intact."

Akumu nods to himself, "I probably shouldn't do this, but this book is too important to lose."

"Do what?" Pythor suddenly snaps back and looks at Akumu with a nervous eye.

Akumu turns to face Pythor and Korin. "The realm crystal was required to take this book safely without damaging it from the waterfall, but since we do not have it, I will just have to use," Akumu quietly sighs with a slight hiss, "A 'substitute'…" Akumu's right hand begins to glow a light purple, and a diamond shape begins to form in his right hand. Pythor's eyes widen as a light purple crystal forms in Akumu's hand, and the crystal glows only to create a purple and black portal above the trio. They are sucked in, and reappear at the point their submarine is waiting. Akumu collapses, and nearly drops the book, but Korin catches them both and helps him up.

"Milord? That was just like when you faked Fenwick's scroll to deceive him, was it not? Your imitations can have functionality?" Korin asks Akumu with glinting eyes as she holds his left arm.

Akumu sighs in exhaustion and nods at Korin tiredly, "Let's just focus on returning to Ninjago; we got what we needed, after all."

Pythor looks at Akumu knowingly, thinking back to the unearthing of the fourth Fang Blade, as the trio boards the SubBorg, with its imminent departure back to Ninjago.

Meanwhile, Maridakahn and Nadakahn have entered the Crystal Caves of Chen's Island. "Here lies the energy, put to rest not long ago, and still untapped" Maridakahn states.

Nadakahn glances around in slight confusion, "I see nothing; so, do explain."

Maridakahn smiles callously, then his body begins to glow as the caves begin showering him in an orange light, with a large blast of orange light suddenly hitting him full-force!

Nadakahn is taken aback slightly.

"Argh…hah…you see? Now I have enough power to easily combat the devilish ninja you seem so preoccupied by. Henceforth, our attention can be directed toward reclaiming the remaining artifacts necessary to create our militia, with which, we can conquer this world." Maridakahn glides around Nadakahn, while glowing faintly with power.

"I do understand, but I still feel it to our advantage if we both hold our respective Realm Crystals." Nadakahn replies.

"Yes, I do agree. Do remind me of the location of its hidden haven?"


	6. Versed by a Curse

Previously on Ninjago,

Ninjago Chapter 6: "Versed With a Curse."

"Are you tired of waiting, brother?"

Nadakahn sighs, "Ah, you've got me. I am growing somewhat impatient, since even as we are on the verge of triumph, I still feel an urgency to quash the Ninja hastily. Time is in their favor."

"Well, I think it fair to assume that between the two of us, and your previous encounter with this vermin, that time is not in their favor any longer, for behold!" Maridakahn gestures to Hiroshi's Labyrinth, for they have arrived.

Since Nadakahn is aware of how to retrieve the realm crystal, it take mere minutes for the two to snatch the crystal and leave.

"See, you have learned from your previous scuffles. Now, I hath our next step planned out, so are you prepared, brother?"

Lloyd's morning starts like any other, until he realizes what day it is; today is the anniversary of his father's death. The normally fairly upbeat Lloyd starts to sulk slightly as he prepares for his lesson with Wu. Lloyd arrives on time to Wu's Gallery.

"My pupil, I sense you are in mourning. Today may be a good opportunity for you." Wu greets Lloyd.

"How, Sensei? I don't want to forget my father." Lloyd replies slightly sullenly.

"No, not forget, rather, remember."

"Huh?"

Wu suddenly holds out a robe to Lloyd: his father's.

"Dad's robe. You want me to wear it?"

"Yes, today's exercise will be performed in his honor. You seem to forget, before he was your father, he was my brother…"

After practice of the refractor-into-Spinjiztu, Lloyd joins the other ninja at the breakfast hall while still wearing his father's robe.

"Woah ho! Looking sharp Lloyd!" Cole praises.

"Your father would be proud to see you in his kimono!" Kai smiles warmly.

Lloyd smiles as best he can. Misako hugs him to comfort him.

Lloyd sighs, then relaxes slightly, "Alright, fellas. What word do we have on the djinn and his releaser?"

"Nothing as of now, Lloyd. I scanned the local news, but nothing was amiss. Zane shakes his head. "Fortunately, this does also imply that no one is in danger yet either; we still have time," Zane brightens slightly.

At that moment, Jay burst into the dining hall with a smile on his face. "Guys, check it out! We got a letter!"

"Jay, we all get letters sometimes, don't overdo it." Nya groans.

Jay sputters, then jumps up to the group, "Look, I am fully aware of my overreactions to normally trivial things; someone even made a video remix of it on Us-Pipe! But, no! I mean, look who it's from! We may have just found our lead!"

The ninja look at the envelope, which has no return address. The letter reads that a mysterious admirer wants to meet with the ninja in the Ninjago City Park. The Ninja nod to one another, "Ninja, Go!"

The team races to the Ultra Stealth Raider, and blasts off to the city park.

Another day means another opening, of Curiosi-Tea that is. Pythor exhales with slight exhaustion, "Another day, another dollar. Humph, hopefully."

Akumu arrives soon after, along with Korin. Akumu also brought the ancient book from the First Spinjitzu Master's tomb. "Yes, and perhaps two cents to follow the dollar," Akumu quips as they enter.

Pythor grins, then sees the book, "So, what did that salty codger leave behind in his memento?"

Akumu frowns, "I have begun translating it, but it's a slow process since I barely understand the language. Korin has been a great help though." Akumu hands Pythor a transcript of the book.

"Hmm, he even goes into detail on his golden power, as well as a tad on the Overlord…" Pythor mutters. Pythor's eyes glint suddenly as his face shows interest, "Golden Forge? Is this the little trinket he used? Or even perhaps what the Overlord used?"

Akumu nods, "Most likely the former, which makes this discovery all the more fortuitous for us, now that I have hired more help in our research department. After all, Korin is wonderful, but she cannot decode this trove of a novel all on her own."

Korin looks slightly miffed, but remains quiet.

Akumu walks to the back room, and unlocks the back entrance smoothly, whilst Pythor and Korin watch closely. Akumu smiles, "Mr. Chumsworth, Ms. Chiura,…"

Korin flinches slightly at the mention of her surname.

"Allow me to present our newest employee," Akumu gestures to the humanoid being standing by his side dutifully.

"Hello, again, Pythor. Refrained from swallowing pills for Golden Masters lately I presume," the feminine, robotic voice melodically greets her new employer with the slightest hint of sarcasm and haughtiness, and is followed up by a graceful bow.

The ninja arrive in the park as per request of the letter.

"Ok, we're here! Show yourself! We're the ninja after all so it doesn't make sense for you to be hidden!" Jay smiles with a somewhat eager, energetic surge, (lol electricity pun, so funny ha-ha!).

"Jay, there is no one here, so I regret to inform you, but you have accidentally wasted a perfectly good joke," Zane chides playfully, "Do you concur, Pixal?" All that greets Zane is silence. Zane shakes his head in surprise, "I'm sorry Pixal, if my own sense of humor does not amuse you…" Silence remains.

Kai looks around the park, but he finds no one. "Guys, I think that letter was a joke," he shrugs.

Cole looks around too, but nods in agreeance to Kai's observation, "Yeah, I guess this is a new twist on a ghost story, eh?" Cole nudges Nya in conjunction with his joke.

Nya sighs exaggeratedly, but smiles, "Actually, that was kinda good. Yet still bitterly corny. Is that why some kids called you Coleslaw when you were young?"

Cole blinks, "Uh, no."

Jay laughs, "Coleslaw, I like it! Kinda explains why you were kinda crunchy and bitter before."

Lloyd sighs, "Why would someone send us a goose chase like this?" Lloyd gasps, "Maybe it was Pythor! He might've set us up so he could attack the temple!"

"No, afraid not, children," a melodic, whisper floats into the park.

The ninja turn at the sudden voice, weapons raised.

A poof of smoke reveals two djinn towering over the six ninja, "So, these are the worshipped star children that you were so hasty to warn me of, hmm?"

"No…no…No!" Jay suddenly snaps up and launches a blast of lightning at Nadakahn.

Nadakahn poofs out of the way with an almost insulted humph, "Like I really learned nothing from our last encounter, Jay."

Nya too shoots a blast of water immediately after Jay's attack misses, which Nadakahn again swiftly avoids with an indignant glare.

"These children's belligerent spirits do pose an annoyance, but nevertheless an annoyance is but a small trifle in the grander scheme of our goals." Maridakahn sighs.

"You still doubt them?" Nadakahn growls slightly as he gives his brother a slightly agitated glance.

"In the face of our real threat, yes…" Maridakahn sighs again, and poofs to Lloyd, only to snatch him up and disappear!

Nadakahn flinches at his brother's actions, but then looks down on the remaining ninja with a scornful smirk. "Perhaps now, you all will witness what you are truly dealing with!"

"Lloyd!" the ninja's cry echoes throughout the park.

Back at CuriosiTea, (sick of the name yet?), Akumu looks up, as though in a slight trance, "It's him."

"Who?" Pythor notices Akumu's glazed eyes.

Akumu looks at Pythor directly in the eyes, almost startling him, "The enemy who freed the djinn, and who contracted Korin to keep watch on us."

"W…well what do you suggest?" Pythor flinches slightly at Akumu's unnerving stare.

"Nothing; we wait," Akumu turns away and walks out the door in an almost gliding manner. "I'm going into town for groceries, and will return shortly,"

Pythor nods, "Hmm, well then, moving on!"

Korin watches Akumu leave, with an almost wistful look; she too then returns to her work. "The anvil finally drops…" she thinks to herself.

Kai suddenly jumps at Nadakahn, shooting a solid stream of fire in front of himself. Kai misses, but uses his power to blast himself higher into the air and unleash his dragon.

Jay and Nya combine their powers to forge their dual-elemental dragon, and join Kai in the air to try and encircle Nadakahn.

Nadakahn poofs away from the ninja, and further into the park. Nadakahn disguises himself as Sensei Wu, and enters the local grocer: "Cold Cuts Deli/Market". "Humph, what is he planning?" Nadakahn hisses to himself while trying to blend in the crowd of shoppers. His wandering lands him at an aisle with noodle soup, ramen, and the like. "Hmm, we certainly never had food in this condition, but the cheap production must surely cause it to suffer." He continues browsing, but fails to notice a shadow creeping up underneath him, Akumu's shadow.

"Wonder who he thinks he's fooling," Akumu thinks to himself. Akumu glances around, then sighs, slightly frustrated, "Not a wise option to expose him here…" Akumu continues his shopping, instead sending a warning message to his associates at the tea shop. A response arrives shortly afterwards from Curiosi-Tea; Pythor says he's sending backup that should arrive momentarily in Akumu's fighter jet. Akumu sends a reply thanking him, and checks out at the register calmly and casually. He leaves minutes afterwards, and heads toward Ninjago City's park.

Nadakahn meanwhile has been trying the free samples the store has been offering, and received more than the average customer thanks to his cunning disguise. He grins and laughs to himself mentally, "Amazing this world has not been usurped and conquered by this age…" Nadakahn leaves the grocer, but is immediately surrounded by the ninja. He growls in frustration, as he can tell by their malevolent expressions that his guise is far from effective on them.

"Cute trick, now see mine!" Cole rolls up like a breakdancer, and flips up to Nadakahn, (who is still in disguise), and instead of punching him, waits and watches where he teleports to and finishes a very powerful, elemental, earth punch on him!

Nadakahn is blasted down the street, absolutely wrecking it with a deep groove in the pavement where Nadakahn skidded.

The onlooking townspeople see this, and mistake Nadakahn for the real Wu, and riot toward Cole for both destroying their roads and Wu.

"Wait, wait! That's not…Wahh!" Cole is lifted up by the riot and tossed into the road indention he created.

"Please, good people! He was merely trying to help you! That is not Master Wu! He's an imposter!" Zane yells to the mob while blowing cold wind to dissuade their anger and simultaneously gain their attention.

Nadakahn, crawls out of the crater he was in, and his disguise melts away as he starts floating back to the park, injured. He growls, but as he enters the park, a voice startles him.

"Are you terribly injured, Brother?" Maridakahn's vocal ringing has sympathetic tint to its usual hissy, gravelly pitch. Maridakahn appears in front of Nadakahn, with a concerned visage on his face.

"I have little strength, Brother. What of the ninja you captured?" Nadakahn gasps, as he struggles to look his brother in the eye. Nadakahn's movements have slowed drastically as he struggles to carry himself.

Maridakahn hisses a chuckle, and tosses a strange object down at Nadakahn's feet; it is the spirit of a young man, a defeated spirit.

The spirit struggles to get up off the ground, its face covered from view. It cannot, for its strength is all but spent. Maridakahn whips his ghostly tail at the young ghost, sending it sprawling a couple meters off and leaving another craterous skid mark on the city streets.

"How?" Nadakahn sees the whole display, and tiredly manages to convert his thoughts into words. Nadakahn turns to face his brother, with a very impressed grin.

Maridakahn then floats to his brother's side, and sprinkles some dust-like substance on Nadakahn. Nadakahn glitters momentarily, and sighs in pleasure as the strange power fills his injuries and mends them pleasantly.

Akumu sees this and mutters something inaudible under his breath; Korin must have sold the djinn some of their magical teas. Akumu remains out of sight, by reflecting the sun's rays to give him the appearance of being invisible. Akumu's attention then turns toward the ghost that had been brutally beaten and defeated several times over; the hair certainly raised suspicions, but Akumu couldn't quite make a good assessment of the identity of the stranger. Akumu slinks and dashes over to it, but as he is doing so, he notices that the elder djinn's hair is glowing, and so is his left hand. Akumu pulls out a small telescope that Pythor had given him a month ago, and sees that the djinn is wearing a strange crown that resembled nothing like anything he'd ever seen, as well as a ring on the djinn's right hand. Akumu's pondering is cut very abruptly as he feels a chill on his shoulder; the djinn is right beside him, hand on his shoulder. Akumu grits his teeth, and breaths in sharply with his pupils constricting.

"Hello, child…" Maridakahn's silky whisper caresses his eardrums almost hypnotically; Maridakahn's hand does not leave Akumu's shoulder.

Nadakahn floats up quickly, and in slight surprise asks, "Where did you…"

Maridakahn pulls Akumu's shoulder toward Nadakahn, startling Akumu into nearly tripping and barely keeping balance. Maridakahn looks down on Akumu, refusing to let go of him, "You do recognize me, don't you child?"

"No, I'm afraid not, your eloquence," Akumu replies tacitly as his eyebrows stiffen, and his muscles tighten.

Maridakahn smiles as he releases Akumu's shoulder, "Well, I've heard much about you…"

Nadakahn squints in recognition of Akumu, and folds his arms in contemplation, "This is the boy, then."

"What are you planning?" Akumu suddenly pipes up, still level in his tone but taking a very defensive posture.

Maridakahn and Nadakahn look at him curiously, but say nothing. Maridakahn tosses an open, full, water bottle at the nearby ghost boy's collapsed form.

Akumu sees this and swats the bottle away, but it splatters all over him. Akumu's face suddenly drains of all color completely, and tries to back away from the spilt liquid. Akumu whispers a very quiet curse under his breath; he'd been too quick to act.

Maridakahn grins as the look on Akumu's face suddenly finds itself at knee high to a water bottle, as does the rest of Akumu's body! Maridakahn leans down and pats the now miniature Akumu on the head like one might pat a sweet child's head to praise them, "You certainly resemble the adjective 'cute', without any dispute in the slightest, do no you not 'little threat'?"

Akumu growls as this happens, but soon is disoriented by taking in his new surroundings, and can only stutter, "Wh…what's…happened…to me?!" Akumu's attention suddenly is caught by a shining object in the corner of his eye: closer inspection reveals it to be a falcon, on the hunt. Akumu's eyebrows shoot up as he is swooped up and swallowed by the falcon before he can utter a peep. The falcon soars off into the distance.

Maridakahn smirks slightly and pulls out a transcript he had 'stolen' at CuriosiTea; this being the transcript to the book written by the First Spinjiztu Master. "Now then, according to this, an artifact that the First Spinjitzu Master used to create the elemental weapons, blades and other weapons is located deep in the heart of the Golden Peaks," Maridakahn reads to Nadakahn while gesturing to some glittering mountains in the distance.

Nadakahn begins to chuckle, but soon poofs away to avoid five elemental beams blasting him in the face.

"Where's Lloyd you two creeps?!" Nya shouts, enraged.

"Oh, is that all? Your disembodied leader is on death's door, and is on his last breaths. Any sprinkle of water could easily obliterate any remainder of his person, so do be careful…" Maridakahn replies coyly with a gesture toward Lloyd's collapsed, ghostly incarnation.

The ninja simultaneously gasp, and dash toward their fallen leader, only to be blasted into the ground by an elemental surge from Maridakahn. Nadakahn begins laughing tauntingly, "Well, well, now doesn't it feel nice? To be shot into the ground and gravel, I of course am referring to. I would know after all…"

The ninja groan, but help each other up and resume their duel with Maridakahn by simultaneously summoning their dragons and blasting him.

Maridakahn is long gone, and floats above them and blasts them with a wave of energy, weakening their dragons.

Cole's dragon vanishes since he loses focus, but is caught by Jay on his dragon. "Thanks, Jay; you Rock!"

Jay faces him, with a very, very pissed off glare, and dumps Cole off his dragon. Cole screams in terror as he braces to kiss the ground full-force; Cole is snatched up by his underpants by the claw of Jay's dragon, and is set on the ground after the wedgie.

All the while, Zane and Nya are encircling Maridakahn, while Kai is blasting toward Lloyd's fainted self. Kai tries to scoop up Lloyd, but misses since Lloyd's body is intangible; Kai becomes thrown off by this and crashes into a nearby tree, setting it ablaze.

Zane is trying to calculate the best tactical option to stop this threat, but suddenly a signal interference disrupts his concentration. "What is that? A signal, so familiar, but I cannot recognize it…"

"Zane! Stay focused!" Nya barks as she dodges an incoming blast of energy from Maridakahn.

Zane snaps back to reality, and after miliseconds of thinking, realizes if Nya misses her mark, she'd potentially splash Lloyd, effectively killing him permanently. Before Zane can warn her to back off of Maridakahn and remain only defensive, his signal is interrupted again and distracts him. Zane does react in time to avoid a blast from electricity that Jay discharged but missed Maridakahn.

"Zane! Sorry!" Jay quickly apologizes while avoiding a direct punch from Nadakahn.

Maridakahn suddenly floats above the clouds, charging up his energy to end the fight. His idea fails quickly, as a sudden jet collides with him, with the impact sending him meteoring back down into the park with a large explosion of dirt and rubble. He tries to float back up, but suddenly clunked mid-air by a large anvil, and just above the anvil is Akumu. Maridakahn coughs as he hits the ground again, coughing in disbelief at Akumu's reappearance, much less as being back to normal.

The jet rockets back, and Akumu latches back on as it makes a u-turn back toward the fight. Akumu glares down, sprinkles a strange liquid over Maridakahn's location. Maridakahn feels the small droplets splatter on his skin, and hisses. Maridakahn watches as the whole world suddenly seems to explode in size around himself.

Akumu hisses a laugh, but soon just scoffs as Maridakahn floats up again.

"Ha-ha! Merely joshing!" is the energetic comment by Maridakahn as he restores himself back to normal and uses a strange beam to hold Akumu mid-air. Akumu cries out slightly as a strange, purple substances is drained from him to Maridakahn. Maridakahn's joy is cut short when the substance reaches him, causing him to cough and shout in alarm.

Akumu feels the energy return to his body, and uses airjitzu to soften his landing. "You do not know me…" Akumu grimaces at Maridakahn in regards to his attempt to drain Akumu's energy.

Nadakahn smiles a wicked grin, and floats up to Akumu. "You do have quite a force to be reckoned with, no? In honor of your valiant comeback, let me make you an offer," Nadakahn sidles up to Akumu very casually, only stopping to dodge and attack by the ninja surrounding him.

"Brother…No! You know not the consequences of what…!" Maridakahn pleads, but poofs to avoid an attack by Kai, who has recovered from his crash and is truly fired up.

"Do ignore him…" Nadakahn begins.

"How can I? What he just did to me was not only just outright disrespectful, it was completely dishonorable!" Akumu glowers at Nadakahn, while his eyes appear to adopt a purple hue.

"Hmm…yes…He does owe you an apology, does he not? Let me give it to you! A chance to make things right!" Nadakahn begins cornering Akumu, causing Akumu to start backing off, until he hits a tree and startles himself.

Back to the tree, Akumu has nowhere to run. "Make things right?" Akumu's voice cracks slightly out of tension as his hands start feeling his robe searching for something to defend himself.

"But of course! It is the duty, oh nay, the honor, the esteemed honor! Of a Djinn to grant the deepest wishes of others. So, do not lie to yourself," Nadakahn sidles back up beside Akumu, with a much less condescending expression on his visage. "Let me do the same for you; take a chance, for it may very well be the only time you can…"

Akumu looks at Nadakahn long and hard, "Hmm…" Akumu blinks, silently mulling it all over. In his thoughts, Akumu suddenly gets an "aha!" idea;, back in reality, he pulls out a sheet of paper, and begins writing a list.

"So, let me offer you: three wishes," Nadakahn puts his four hands together invitingly.

"Fine." Akumu looks at him with an enigmatic confidence.

Nadakahn smiles gently, "So your firs….!" Nadakahn finds the paper Akumu had been writing on shoved in his hands.

"Here are my three wishes."

Nadakahn frowns, but nods, "A little, how do you say, unorthodox, but I suppose it counts…" Nadakahn glows as he begins granting the wishes.

Maridakahn thought he'd finally gained an advantage over his ninja enemies, but their tireless loyalty to Lloyd inspired some wicked combos: Kai and Jay combined their powers to create a flaming thunderbolt that truly sizzled on Maridakahn's remaining flesh. Nya, Zane, and Cole combined their elements to concoct a massive glacier of stone, ice and with an additional water shell covering it; it scarred Maridakahn's transparent tail, and the glacier itself left its mark on Maridakahn's torso, and chest. Maridakahn, quick to take the hint, quickly teleports over to his brother in an attempt to stop him from granting Akumu's wishes; it's too late.

Akumu is now holding a strange sack of shards that resemble an unidentifiable weapon of some kind. He is also sporting a cold glass of water, quietly sipping it with a slightly more relaxed grin.

Korin suddenly perks up, and runs to her scroll, picking it up and reading it. The scroll glitters momentarily, and a sentence that was written in red ink suddenly transforms into normal, black ink and the scroll stops sparkling. Korin feels her back tingle, and it too begins to shimmer on her two shoulder blades. "…I don't believe it," she thinks to herself in definite surprise, and blinks, "…he succeeded…" She smiles, albeit only for half a second, but a small smile nonetheless graces her face.

Maridakahn begins berating his brother in a very harsh, hoarse screech, "This is how you were so easily banished! Your arrogance! Your absolute degenerate mindset gave you nothing but an entitled attitude which is COSTING YOU!" Maridakahn begins poofing around Nadakahn, "You let her go…and now…how are we supposed to keep watch on him?!" Maridakahn gestures furiously at Akumu, who smirks.

"Oh, do forgive me…And yet, I do seem to notice that you LOST to the children you were so unconcerned about! Am I surprised? Not a bit! Any arrogance I have, I clearly had the way paved for me in advance!" Nadakahn counters with almost equal fury, "Father chose me for a reason, Brother!"

Both Djinn suddenly disappear in a blind rage by using their respective realm crystals.

The ninja sigh in disappointment in not being able to apprehend the twosome, but finally turn their attention to Lloyd, and start calling out to him to try and awaken him.

Akumu turns to leave the scene, since he cannot do much at this point. He suddenly closes his eyes, as a strange vision fills his mind: Nadakahn had disguised himself as Wu, but that was nothing but a foreshadowing of the Djinn's real target, Sensei Wu. Akumu's communicator buzzes him; Pixal's voice crackles as she is very quick to explain, "Someone has invaded Pythor's old laboratory, and they have Sensei Wu with them…"

"Get me there, now!" Akumu airjitzus into the air, and catches a ride on his jet.

Zane suddenly perks up from his attention to Lloyd, when he sees the jet as his signal is suddenly disrupted. Zane zooms in on the jet's occupants, and sees Pixal. Zane gasps, and tries to summon his dragon to pursue, but the other ninja stop him.

"Zane! What's the matter with you?" Nya complains, turning back to Lloyd.

"Yeah, Zane! What's got you so distant?" Jay inquires, slightly hurt.

"I saw Pixal! In that fighter plane!" Zane points, but the plane is long gone by the time the others look.

They look at him, confused.

"Look Zane, worry about her later; Lloyd is our focus right now," Kai scolds calmly, but firmly. Kai uses his fire very delicately as he tries to awaken Lloyd.

Cole leans down, putting a hand on Lloyd, and finds that Lloyd is tangible to him! He rolls Lloyd over, and they see that Lloyd had been brutally abused in whatever scuffle he'd had with the Djinn.

"Cole, how'd you do that?" Nya's eyebrows tilt slightly.

Cole shrugs, "Might be because I was a ghost once, but regardless, now we need to find Wu."

Zane tries to contact the temple while the others watch over Lloyd, but Misako reports that Wu's been in the city for the entire evening and had sent no word regarding his whereabouts. Zane is frozen in realization of the scenario at hand, "…Oh, no…."

Akumu and Pixal arrive at Pythor's lab with time to spare, or so they think. It's abandoned, and there is almost no evidence of anyone having occupied the lab for at least several months. Akumu shakes his head, clenching his fist which engulfs in a purple flame as he does. Pixal frowns, but puts a hand on Akumu's shoulder to try and ease the burden of the situation.

"Worry not, the ninja will stop them, and save Master Wu."

Akumu faces Pixal, deadpan and dead in tone, "That will not be enough; they took him, and rebuilt him."

Pixal's expression stiffens, and she, and Akumu, return to the jet, and rocket back to the park.

They arrive, but they are indeed, too late. Sensei Wu, formerly so at least, is currently assaulting the ninja with very poignant, accurate, and powerful strikes from the Golden Staff of the First Spinjitzu Master. The ninja are trying to be gentle, but have no will to fight back anymore.

Akumu sends out a small, snake-like contraption which ensnares Wu. Wu struggles, but looking behind himself, sees Akumu, "Milord, you've returned. I apologize for my fruitless efforts to curb the djinn menace, but will soon have dispatched our only other threat."

The ninja see Akumu, and give him mixed expressions.

"He pretty much literally killed Lloyd, but why? And what has he…" Akumu is jumpscared by Wu escaping the snare and standing right in front of him at attention. Akumu lets his breath escape his lips, but glances Wu over, noticing only minor changes aside from Wu's newly-black beard. Wu also has very piercing purple eyes, and these same eyes pierce Akumu, unnerving him.

"Milord, it would seem that my loyalties have changed; I serve you fully, and wholly. Those ninja will never believe that you didn't cause my change, for that is what he wants. Even my word will do no good; we must finish them," Wu pulls his weapon out, brandishing it.

"No! That is not the answer!" Akumu argues, taking a step back.

"Very well, if we must do it that way…" Wu uses Spinjitzu, now purple, and engulfs Akumu. Akumu is sent sprawling at the ninja, with his eyes now too purple like Wu's, and they are just as piercing; Akumu's expression betrays his utter confusion, and fear.

"Please, try to understand…thh…this was not my…" Akumu tries to plead his case, but is interrupted by Maridakahn' sudden appearance.

"No…but you would have eventually, for your destiny doth foretell such a fate for those around you." Maridakahn tries to blast the ninja, but Akumu stops the blast mid-air, eyes glowing. The blast suddenly morphs into a darker, purple engraved form of energy, and is suddenly absorbed into both Akumu and Wu. "You are linked now. Your bond is due to your power's instinctive nature; I must display my gratitude for your refusal to give it to me, for it is truly naught but a curse," Maridakahn glowers with a very threatening wheeze of amusement, but despite this, his words completely free from falsehood. He floats around Akumu, who suddenly stops using his strange energy, and pulls out his sword. "Your parent's death, and your little brother's death. On your honor?" Maridakahn quibbles accusingly.

"And you're blameless? You think that your efforts for the cursed realm have gone unnoticed? And clearly you've other ventures you have yet to disclose," Akumu slashes at Maridakahn's head, but hears a 'klink' as his sword strikes metal. "That crown…" Akumu mutters as he suddenly has to fight off Maridakahn's six-armed blade frenzy.

In between retaliation slashes, Maridakahn chortles, "Thou doth admire my trinkets, does't thee?" Maridakahn's strange crown, and the ring on his left hand, the one closest to his ghostly tail, glow and his entire body erupts in a red, raging aura. Maridakahn's attack quickly overwhelms Akumu, and he is sent flying with a few gashes from the cutting blitz. "Your invaluable assistance will be a great asset to mine ideals, child. While it is true that thy goals are noble, thou cannot conceal what thine own fate shall reveal…" Maridakahn begins to float away in parting, but suddenly gets blasted by a white, firey beam. Maridakahn retreats, but not before casting one last scorning leer at his attacker, Korin.

Korin hears Maridakahn's voice inside her mind, "Now that you are free, tell me: was it worth the effort? I promise thyself one thing: ye will fall apart, and will distance thyself from those whom should be held most near… Your fate…is as hollow as his…" She looks at her scroll, but it offers no comfort for it shows nothing additional in her future. Shuddering in frustration, she regains her bearings temporarily to focus her energy staff and aim the barrel at the ninja, in whom she detects large amounts of hostility.

Akumu sees her, and waves to her to disarm her weapon. Akumu then turns to the ninja, mournfully; however, Wu suddenly starts attacking the ninja once more. Akumu's eyes glow, as he very calls out in a resigning voice, "Stop."

Wu stops, and faces him, eyes also glowing. The ninja sigh in relief, and try to approach Akumu.

A burst of wind engulfs Akumu, whose eyes have not changed, nor his expression. The turbulence increases, as Akumu performs Spinjitzu and entraps the ninja in it; when he stops, the ninja are launched in all directions, with minor scratches and bruises from the Spinjitzu tornado. Akumu slinks off into his jet in a hurry, with Wu following close behind.

"Wu!" the ninja call out while in hot pursuit of their master. Wu turns around, and points his staff at them as a warning.

"Sir, we are ready for takeoff," Pixal reports hurriedly. She looks outside the jet's cockpit window, and her eyes lock with Zane's. "Zane…" she whispers, but then looks away quickly.

"Pixal!?" Zane calls out, seeing this as almost an act of betrayal; he suddenly shoots ice at the jet to stop it.

Akumu shoots out fire to intercept the frosty blast, but the second the ice falls as water, the water suddenly turns a darker, syrupy navy blueish-black and pools into an acidic puddle.

Zane gasps and leaps to safety.

The other ninja are quick to act in retaliation, and blast the jet with their respective elements, but Akumu's energy absorbs their blasts and discharges it which knocks them back on their backs.

"I told you; it is useless to reason at this stage," Wu comments mechanically while monitoring Akumu's actions. "Let's finish this."

Akumu looks at the ninja, and focusing on their emotions, feels the confusion, rage, and instability of their thoughts. Akumu looks at the ground, and closes his eyes, "Make it quick."

Wu nods, and starts using his now-purple-and-golden Spinjitzu, "Combine your energy with mine! It will be enough to knock them all unconscious!"

Akumu grunts his affirming agreement, and starts using Spinjitzu alongside Wu, and then merges with Wu's tornado. Their combined Spinjitzu tornado's gravity effortlessly intertwines the ninja inside it, and regurgitates them in mere seconds with enough force to knock them all unconscious, as Wu had predicted. Akumu and Wu then board the jet with Korin and Pixal. The jet blasts off into the evening sun, out of view from the city.

Lloyd is the first to awaken, and he runs up to his friends, one by one; his friends awaken too and are relieved to find their friend to be alright, at least as much as a ghost can be anyway.

"Alright, Lloyd; spill it: what just happened?" Kai interrogates surprisingly harshly.

"Guys, we need to head back to the temple and regain our bearings. I can practically see the anxiety in all of you," Lloyd advises, and tries to summon his dragon; he fails to summon it.

"Here, Lloyd; I'll give you a ride," Jay summons his dragon weakly, and he and Lloyd climb aboard it.

The other ninja follow suit, and return to the temple. After resting for several hours to regain their sanity, and recuperate from their last battles, the ninja sit in the dining hall.

"Wu…was corrupted by the djinn? But by what means?" Misako whimpers as she drinks tea to try and drown out her worry.

"And how'd you become a ghost? What'd that guy do to you, man?" Cole gently, but still intensely asks.

Lloyd's expression darkens, his eyes now lifeless, and gazes on his friends with a truly dead expression, "…I…wanted to see my father…" Lloyd tears a hole in the ghostly remnant of his father's once-prestigious robe, and suddenly breaks down in pure anger with an explosion of roaring and smashing the ground underneath himself. His eyes fiery, but still totally drained of life as his ghostly wail impaled the eardrums of the ninja, with an outcry of pain; the pain belonging to one who had been hurt, repeatedly, mercilessly, and then left to burn away…


End file.
